Strange Occurances
by Master Yume
Summary: Chapter 08 ptII is up so enjoy (or hate it) I have 09 on the board and getting ready for action (when it'll be done is up to well me.)
1. Say What? Oh

Here's a story that I thought up after reading Glitch by Black Dragon (a very good author and if you haven't already I suggest that you read his works). It is I warn you a self-insert, and a possible crossover (beyond Ranma that is). There will be almost blatant Akane/Genma bashing. Well if anyone has a problem... write it in a review and I'll see what I can do (Meaning flames will be used to try and power my new steam powered computer, it will work Dammit.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, Sailor Moon, Tenchi, or a great deal of the other series that will surely appear in this story.

Now without further ado a fic by Yume.

Strange Occurrences

Prologue: Say What?... Oh.

Mild mannered Yume Master was working diligently against the forces of evil, in a vain attempt to make the world a better place. Or at least snag him some more anime. "No ma'am I'm sorry but we are not allowed to break up the packages of steaks it's against regulation." "For chriss sake I can't believe this I'm going to speak to a manager about this." The kind hearted patient woman, who didn't interrupt his carefully laid schedule so that he wouldn't get into trouble for working Overtime for the fourth time that week, walked away as Yume slid the window shut. Yume sighed at he went back to his cleaning, not having noticed that the other cleaner had just soaped down the floor for cleaning. He did however notice when his equilibrium was suddenly began shifting. His arms flailed his feet shifted quickly as he slid forward and smacked into a wall. Said wall holding the cutting implements used by his co-workers so as to prepare things to thwart evil. Unfortunately for the brave Yume, said implements dislodged from their holder as it lost one of its support screws and tilted. The last thing Yume's living eyes saw were a pair of fiendish tongs heading for his eyes, oh and some pointy knives heading for the rest of his body.

Yume's co-worker looked up from the radio upon which he was attempting to tune a decent (in his mind) station. To his surprise Yume lied in a pool of his own blood several sharpened utensils sticking from his rapidly cooling corpse. Slowly approaching the body he poked it a few times with one of the mops. Upon no movement he proceeded to retrieve the stereo remote from Yume's pocket and switched to the CD player. Dropping the now useless remote on the body, whose blood he was mopping up so as to "properly dispose" of it like the boss had said.

------------

Yume looked around or at least tried to but that damned light kept him from seeing anything. After a few minutes or looking for somewhere (aside from the light) to go he finally gave up and headed towards the light.

'Why do I have a strange sense of foreboding?'

Suddenly he stopped not due to his own actions but just because he couldn't go forward anymore. Looking to his left he was greeted with nothing turning back to check his right side he was greeted by a rather large imposing and downright cool looking vision. A tall figure that loomed over Yume dressed in a black hooded cloak, holding a wickedly sharp sickle.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were the Grim Reaper."

The figure looked at him for a moment before replying.

"THEN YOU DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER."

Yume took a minute to figure that out and came to a startling realization.

"So, I'm dead?"

"PRETTY MUCH."

"Damn it."

Yume looked to Death for a little while and finally his part-time impatient nature took over.

"So what now?"

"WE WAIT FOR JUDGMENT TO BE PASSED ON YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL."

"What?! I don't get to defend myself?"

"NO."

Death deciding to peruse the mortal's files took out a rather thick folder and opened it up to the main page. After a few minutes of reading on Death's part and a few minutes of balancing a pencil on one's index finger by Yume, Death paused and looked up at Yume.

"YOU'RE WHAT?"

"I'm what?"

"IT SAYS HERE THAT YOUR RELIGION IS AS FOLLOWS: THREE PARTS CATHOLIC, TWO PARTS ATHEIST?"

Yume shrugged and offered Death a cigarette (which he declined,) "don't ask it's too complicated."

Death nodded and continued, "ONE PART BAPTIST, ONE PART LUTHERAN, ONE PART METHODIST, ONE PART TAO, AND ONE PART MORMON."

Yume's cigarette dropped to the ground after the fifth attempt to light it, "I wonder where the Mormon came from."

Death's only response was a half-hearted shrug, "IN ANY CASE SINCE THE MAJORITY OF YOUR BELIEFS ARE CHRISTIAN."

Yume interrupted him, "Wait a sec you mean just general Christianity is correct not a faction of it."

"YES."

"Damn."

"IN ANY CASE NORMALLY YOU WOULD BE HEADING TO THE PEARLY GATES, AND INTO HEAVEN."

"Ok and is there a problem that says otherwise?"

Death shook his head, "NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF, I JUST FIGURED I'D LET YOU..."

Before Death could finish a beeping noise was heard.

"HANG ON."

Yume boggled as Death reached into his cloak and pulled out a cell phone. After a few moments of Death corresponding with the person (?) on the other end, he finally hung up.

"THERE'S A PROBLEM."

"Such as?"

"IT SEEMS THAT YOU DON'T COMPLETELY OWN YOUR SOUL."

"Completely?"

"YOU OWN ABOUT ONE THIRD OF IT."

"How did that happen?"

Death scanned through the folder and stopped close to the end.

"YOU SOLD YOUR SOLD THREE WAYS."

"I did?"

"YES, FIRST PARTY SOLD TO WAS... YOURSELF."

"I sold my own soul to myself?... What did I get for... myself?"

Death scanned the page, "A COSTCO SIZED BAG OF LEMONHEADS."

"Damn I AM a shrewd businessman."

Death merely stared at Yume for a bit, till he shakes himself from his daze."

"IN ANY CASE THE SECOND AND THIRD PARTIES ARE... HEAVEN AND HELL."

"Both? How did that happen?"

"APPARENTLY YOU MADE A DEAL, THAT IF A CERTAIN SERIES OF EVENTS CAME TO PASS THEN THE SIDE RESPONSIBLE WOULD GET THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF YOUR SOUL."

"Oh yeah... HEY! Neither delivered."

"BUT SINCE IT WAS A BLOOD SIGNED DOCUMENT, THE SOUL WAS DIVIDED TILL SOMETHING CHANGED THE SCALES OF THE SITUATION."

"Blood signed?"

"PAPER CUT."

"Ahhh of course."

"WITH THIS IN MIND YOU WON'T BE GOING TO HEAVEN."

"So I'm hell bound eh?"

"I NEVER SAID THAT."

"But you just said 'you won't be going to heaven.'"

"I NEVER MENTIONED HELL DID I?"

"No I guess not."

"WHILE YOU ARE NOT HELL BOUND THIS CERTAINLY COMPLICATES MY JOB."

"It does?"

"YES, NORMALLY I REAP THE SOUL AND LEAD IT TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO, WITH YOU HOWEVER THERE HAS TO BE A CHANGE IN ROUTINE."

Yume smiled he always liked the idea of 'fight the power'.

"YOU NOW HAVE THREE CHOICES AS TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU. FIRST OPTION IS ETERNAL PURGATORY, WHICH IS BASICALLY YOU SITTING IN AN ENDLESS VOID UNTIL THE END OF TIME."

"Um let me think... I'll pass."

Death nodded and continued, "SECOND WOULD BE FOR YOU TO ALLOW YOUR SOUL TO BE RECYCLED THROUGH KARMA."

'About where would that put me upon rebirth?"

Death went over a figure or two in his head then answered Yume, "ABOUT THE LEVEL OF A SMALL DOG TO A LARGE BUG."

Yume shuddered at the very thought of being an oversized rat.

"OF COURSE THERE IS THE THIRD OPTION: APPRENTICESHIP."

"Apprenticeship?"

"YOU WILL CHOOSE FROM A SELECT GROUP OF DEITIES AND OTHER SUPERNATURAL BEINGS LOOKING FOR AN APPRENTICE."

Yume had to think very long and hard about this. (Yeah Right)

"I'll go with the apprenticeship, although that whole endless void was tempting."

If Death had eyes in his current form to roll he would have. He reached into his cloak and pulled two pieces of paper and a pen.

"What I don't have to sign in blood?"

"TOO MESSY BESIDES YOU DON'T HAVE ANY BLOOD YOU'RE DEAD."

Yume nodded at the logic, and took the pen, and paper Death handed him. After looking the paper over he decided he might as well sign it (after all the only thing it said of it was 'I Agree.' kind of straightforward.) Death nodded and returned the first paper into the folds of his robe and handed him the other sheet.

"HERE IS A LIST OF BEINGS LOOKING FOR APPRENTICES."

The list was by no means long; in fact it only had three names.

"Hmm Death, Loki, or the Almighty?"

"THAT'S A TYPO, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ALRIGHTY."

Yume had to stop for a bit after that one.

"Okay I won't ask."

"GOOD I WON'T ANSWER."

Yume looked the list over again, "... so you're looking for an apprentice? Are you giving any benefits?"

Death sighed and silently cursed the unions.

"AS A MATTER-OF-FACT I AM: TEN UNIFORM CLOAKS (NO REAPER SHOULD BE WITH OUT ONE), BASIC MAGIC POWER AND KNOWLEDGE, THIS YOU CAN STRENGTHEN ON YOUR OWN, ONE SNATH AND TWO SCYTHE BLADES."

Yume nodded, "Is there anything in particular that I would need to do in order to get this position."

"NOT REALLY, JUST BASICALLY PASS AN ON SCENE TRIAL SORT-TO-SPEAK."

"On scene trial?"

"WE CAN'T LET JUST ANYONE GO AROUND REAPING SOULS NOW CAN WE?"

"I guess not."

"OH YES I ALMOST FORGOT, IN ADDITION TO WHAT I ALREADY SPOKE OF YOU WILL RECEIVE A BIT OF INGRAINED TRAINING SO THAT YOU MAY BETTER HANDLE YOUR SCYTHE, BASICALLY IT WILL CONSIST OF TRAIN WITH YOUR SCYTHE, A POLE AXE, A BO, A QUARTERSTAFF, AND A SPEAR."

"All that? Just to wield a scythe?"

"NO BUT IT'S PART OF THE PACKAGE."

"Package sir?" Yume decided he was going to take Death's offer so he figured he might as well be respectful to his supervisor.

"Well I might as well; after all I always wanted to be a harbinger of Destruction."

"DEATH."

"Close enough for my purposes."

Death nodded and put away the apprenticeship list.

"NOW THEN REGARDING YOUR TRIAL, YOU ARE GOING TO BE SENT TO ONE OR MORE UNIVERSES (DEPENDING ON YOU PERFORMANCE.) THERE YOU WILL MEET WITH A SUBJECT, WHOM YOU WILL HAVE TO ASSIST IN ACHIEVING A SPECIFIED GOAL."

"Okay."

"YOU WILL BE 'SCORED' BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE. YOU WILL HAVE FIVE CHANCES, SHOULD YOU NEED THEM, AFTER WHICH YOU WILL RECEIVE AN OVERALL SCORE, WHICH IF GOOD ENOUGH WILL ALLOW YOU TO BECOME MY HEIR BASICALLY."

Yume nodded at that.

"PREPARE YOURSELF YUME!"

Suddenly a portal directly above Yume opens and out fall: a pack, a rather large book, two scythe blades, a snath, and ten robes. All of which landed directly on top of Yume knocking him to the floor.

".... Oww."

Death nods down at Yume then waits as Yume gathers his things into the deceptively large pack.

"NOW YOU ARE READY."

"I am?"

"YES."

"Right... uh... you're sure now?"

Death lets out yet another sigh.

"YOUR NEW KNOWLEDGE WILL BASICALLY ACTIVATE UPON ARRIVAL TO THE PLANE."

"Cool, so where am I going?"

Death begins to cast the spell carving an arcane symbol in the air.

"YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE APPRENTICE."

"WHAT?!!"

"GOOD LUCK."

With that a portal opens beneath Yume's feet sucking the former teen into an icy black abyss and into the unknown.


	2. Death Moves in Mysterious Ways

For a disclaimer see prologue.

[ ... ]- Indicates Genma panda signs

****

Chapter 01:

__

Death Moves in Mysterious Ways

(In a remote valley deep in the heart of China)

Ranma sighed as he continued to follow his father to yet another training ground. Why they were going there Ranma had no clue. After all Ranma was now able to beat his father seven out of ten matches. The legendary 'Training Grounds of Cursed Springs' Jusenkyo. 

"Remind me again pops as to why we ain't gone home yet?"

"Foolish boy we must go to Jusenkyo, if we train there we will become nearly invincible."

"How do you know that old man?"

Genma merely held up a book that had the words 'Martial Arts Training Grounds: Guidebook and Map' scribbled onto it. While Ranma didn't really buy it there wasn't much he could do to prove his father's claim wrong. So like the boy Genma had raised him to be so far he shut his mouth and kept walking, completely unaware of the dangers ahead.

They hadn't gone much farther before they happened upon a fog-covered area. Wading into the thick fog eventually both martial artist stopped to look at the sight that appeared before them. Bamboo pole popping up randomly as far as they could make out in the haze, the poles jutted from the surface of various pool of water. Their observations were interrupted by a fairly short pudgy Chinese man wearing a Chinese Republic Army uniform.

"Greetings Mr. Customers. Here sir, is legendary 'Training Grounds of Accursed Springs.' You very strange one, no, sir? This place very dangerous nobody use now."

As the guide spoke, Ranma and Genma had already begun setting their packs down.

"Ready boy?"

Ranma shrugged as he adjusted the belt on his training gi.

"This place don't look so great."

The guide regarded the strange martial artists before continuing with is description.

"More than one hundred spring here, each have it own tragic legend."

Ignoring the guide for the most part both Genma and Ranma jumped up and alit facing each other on different poles.

"Ahhh what sirs doing? Very bad if fall in spring."

"I won't go easy on you boy."

"That's the way I like it old man."

With that and a battle cry from Genma they launched at each other and began trading blows, only to separate, land then reengage. Several times they both leapt from pole to pole till finally Ranma managed to find an opening in his father's defense and exploited it sending Genma plummeting into a pool.

"Is that it pops? We all done?"

Right as the guide began to explain the legend of that specific pool, Ranma happened to glance skyward and saw something unexpected. Clouds began to swirl darkening along with the very sky. Lighting bolts flashed horizontally across the blackened heavens. At the focal point of the cloud swirl, a hole begins to form. Ranma had a very logical reaction to all of this.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

As if to answer his question a disembodied voice echoes across the valley.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY GUESS IS AS GOOD AS YOURS!?!"

With that the hole spews forth a figure with a pack attached to his back, although it could have been a hump, 'kinda like that bell ringing guy from a while back.' Ranma thought.

As Ranma follows the figure's descent he is suddenly interrupted by of all things a wooden board.

[An opening!]

With that said board smacked into his face and sent Ranma plummeting into a spring **take a wild guess at which one**. Before the man turned panda could properly berate his son on his poor technique, the falling figure made friends with a cursed spring. A huge pillar of water flew out of the spring, raining into nearby springs. It was at this point Ranma came up from his dip and immediately noticed the added weight on his chest. Looking down and seeing some things that were out of place, Ranma was about to chalk it up to having water clouding his vision. Only to hear the guide speak.

"That Spring of Drowned Girl, spring home to very tragic legend of young girl who drown in spring one thousand five hundred-year ago. Now anyone who fall in spring take body of young girl."

Ranma was shocked and pissed as he observed the mounds of flesh on his chest. His entire training trip his father had always told him that if he failed he was nothing more than a weak girl. And now... he was one of them. Ranma calmly climbed out of the pool her eyes nearly vacant. Luckily for himself his spirit didn't give in and rage began to replace grief and shock. His eyes focused on the furry carcass of his father turned panda as a small glow enveloped his body. Genma began sweating a bit as Ranma approached cracking his knuckles.

After a severe panda beating and several attempts at skinning his father (while keeping him alive) Ranma carefully followed the guide through the maze of springs to where the mysterious figure had landed. Halfway out they were interrupted, as a flash shower began not that this bothered Ranma (since the guide had yet to explain that there was a temporary cure). Finally they both arrived; lying in one of the pools was a dark haired figure. Somehow the figure's pack had been removed and was resting on the side just out of the pool. Thought returned to Yume with all the subtlety of a train meeting a gas tanker head on. 'I forgot the knife effect'.

"You ok sir?"

Yume didn't even open his eyes and continued to float where he was.

"Just gimme a few minutes."

"Sir fall in spring of Drowned Man Holding Monkey. Very tragic story of man who drown carrying monkey long time before records kept."

At that comment Yume tilted his head to actually look at who was talking to him. 'Hmm, short stocky guy in green uniform, red head looking depressed, water, and bamboo.' It finally sunk in just where he had landed. 'This is a Ranma universe and I've just been cursed. I think there was an expression that God taught humans for just such an occasion, yes I believe that it was...' 

"SON OF A BITCH!"

Both Ranma and the guide jumped back from the sudden outburst, and watched as Yume climbed out of the pool. Once he was free of the pool's embrace he hunched over and began looking around wildly.

"Mirror, give me a mirror."

The guide reaches into one of his pockets and removes a decent sized mirror, which was snatched away by Yume, who begins to examine himself. 'Hmm, almost how I pictured myself as an Anime character. Although I do have to say the thinner eyes do make me look quite sinister.' Finally Ranma spoke up.

"What makes you think it was the pool of the drowned man holding monkey?"

The guide looked at Ranma strangely.

"Young sir now has tail."

That comment caught Yume's attention.

"Tail?"  
With that he reaches back and finds a rather lively black tail protruding from the back of his jeans. 'Uh oh... A heh heh heh, ma-maybe it really was just a man holding a monkey... yeah right.' Yume just sighed as he handed the mirror back to the guide.

"Anyways is there a cure or anything?"

"Oh yes sir, cure is hot water but only last till next time splashed with cold water."

Yume nodded as he gathered the pack he had been given before being dropped here. Ranma had become positively giddy upon hearing that there was a cure for the curse, not having bothered to listen to the rest of what the guide said.

"So is there someplace where I can get hot water?" Yume turned to Ranma, "hey man what's up?" 

Ranma stared for a minutes before replying.

"The sky? And how did you know that I wasn't really a girl?"

Both Ranma and the guide looked at Yume as he tried to think of a good enough excuse. Finally it came to him.

"Uh... er... that is to say, I'm a traveling... Martial arts... magician. Yeah that's it."

'God... er... Kami or whoever let them buy this."

"I could sense the underlying male aura about you."

Ranma swallowed it hook line swivel and sinker; the guide however looked a bit skeptical. With that they all turned and began weaving their way back to the guides hut. Yume pauses to look up at the cliff-side as some rocks came loose splashing into the pools below.

"This is gonna be just great." he deadpanned. Proceeding to follow Ranma and the guide careful not to fall into another pool.

(Guide's hut some time later)

Yume finally managed to attach the blade to the snath, and held up his finished weapon. The long curving black handle had two grips located on it, while the blade that attached to it seemed to be bathed in endless midnight refracting the light strangely, almost like it was absorbing the light. Ranma merely snorted at the thing.

"Weapons are nothing more than a crutch for the weak."

"Oh yes I agree, however, I do prefer the added reach a weapon gives you."

Ranma stared at Yume not expecting his reaction. Most of the times when he insulted a weapons user they would get all pissed off and defensive, challenging him to a match which he normally won. Still Ranma continued.

"I could take you easy. Especially if I got that scythe away from you."

"I'm not so sure about that. I do have a few 'tricks' up my sleeve; after-all I am a magician."

Ranma bristled at that.

"I could take you any time."

"I'm sure you could, if I wasn't going full out."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Yume replied after he put his, now dry, shirt on and handed Ranma his.

"It simply means that I know magic, and seeing as that is something you probably haven't come across all that often I'm willing to bet I could win."

"You still trust magic even after you've been cursed?"

"I had magic before I was cursed." 'Yeah for about three seconds.'

And so it went they continued debating Yume somehow managing to keep them from coming to blows over their arguments. That was at least until a large fat panda walked into the hut carrying a struggling piglet.

"Great the idiot panda and P-chan." Yume mumbled.

Yume grabbed his bag and moved towards the door as Genma and the guide began joking about the pig actually being a curse victim.

"I'm going to step outside for some fresh air."

After setting his pack against a tree Yume moved back to the hut and reached in to pull the guide out.

"Ah why sir pull away from pig dinner? Panda customer eat all of piglet."

Yume looked at him and smiled.

"That is no piglet it's a curse victim."

The guide wasn't buying it that is until there was a splash sound followed quickly by very human screaming. Yume just smiled as he sat down leaning against the hut holding his newly acquired scythe across his lap. After a couple minutes of no explosions he began thinking it was safe to go back inside. As soon as he leaned away from the wall of the hut he heard Ryouga scream.

"Ranma because of you I've seen hell, prepare to die!"

With that the wall behind him exploded covering him in rubble and debris.

Ranma jumped through the wall Ryouga had smashed in his attempt to hit Ranma.

"C'mon pig boy come and get me."

"Ranma this is all your fault!"

Ryouga jumped out after Ranma and they began trading blows. It continued this way for a few minutes (the pile of rubble shifting occasionally) till Ryouga managed to get spun around and lost track of Ranma. Charging headlong into the forest Ryouga's voice began to fade away all the while screaming about Ranma and cowards. Ranma calmed down after Ryouga's voice disappeared. He began to relax, it was then the pile of rubble mumbled something and a quick breeze later, a line formed down the center of the pile letting debris fall to either side revealing a peeved Yume, who had introduced himself as Bill. After all Jon was too obvious, and Jonathan was even more so.

"Ranma next time you decide to blow up a wall I'm leaning on."

He began slowly as the blade of his scythe grazed Ranma's neck.

"Allow me the chance of knowing about it before you cover me in rubble. K?"

"Ah no sir what you do? You destroyed my house."

Ranma looked at the devastation and had the decency to look sheepish. 

"Sorry about that but I wasn't expecting Ryouga to attack me like that." 

Sighing and shaking his head Yume (now Bill) took stock of himself and was not pleased, his T-shirt and jeans were ripped and tattered barely worth keeping.

"Damn it these were the last pair of normal clothes I own." 'In fact I think they were the only normal pair I own.' With that and a sigh, he grabbed his pack and walked into the remains of the hut. He stopped only to properly threaten Genma with his scythe. As soon as Yume stepped inside, the heavens opened up and poured down upon the unsuspecting Ranma. Ranma could do nothing more than scowl at the sky.

A bit later Yume re-emerged clothed in one of his cloaks, carrying his scythe on his back. From the tattered remains of his belt he managed to fashion a decent strap to put the scythe on his back with. Currently the tail of his cursed form was acting as a sash around his waist. The cloak its self was the strange finisher of this ensemble. While it didn't look black, it in a way did, it seemed to made of nothing more than darkness much like the blade of his weapon. The hood was down letting his head be seen.

"I guess this is a bit better, although I look like a monk or something."

Ranma shrugged showing his lack of concern. Yume smiled at the tattered remains of Ranma's training gi, after all that loose top wouldn't be very good for very long once Ranma realized the hazard of it in his cursed form. Yume pulled away from his sinister musings via the sight of the quietly weeping guide.

"Hey guide, do you know of somewhere nearby that we can stay. At least till someone else's friends decide to come and try to destroy it."

"Hey what are you blaming me for?"

Yume managed to put up a convincing puzzled look.

"I never blamed you, I blamed the company that you keep."

Ranma stopped and nodded appeased at 'Bill's' answer. The guide then piped in.

"Oh yes honored sir, there is village of Amazons. Many powerful warrior there."

Before Ranma could express his (or her) eagerness to go she was hit from behind by one of Genma's signs.

[Boy we will go there and see what] [types of techniques we can learn off them.]

Yume piped in looking at Genma.

"Where do you get those signs?

The panda ignored him, in favor of gathering his things much like his son was doing.

----------

The gates looked just like Yume expected them to look. The fallen timber of many trees strung together holding outside invaders at bay. The gates however were wide open, and for that matter unguarded. The guide remarked about something in Mandarin, then turned to his little tour group as he led them towards the village's center.

"We lucky sirs, is day of big village tournament, big honor for winner."

The now hooded Yume nodded as he looked over the events. Then his mind kicked into overdrive as he saw who was on the Challenge Log. However the bullet train was derailed and exploded in a fantastic fireball in Yume's mind. The scents of the food began to mess with his senses and he was soon following Ranma and Genma as they gravitated towards the table, all their mouths watering. After all no one would mind him eating... right? After feasting and calming the new savage beast of a stomach he had re-acquired (sort to speak), his question was answered in the form of a heavy bon-bori smashing into the table in front of Ranma. 'Shit this is bad.' luckily for him no one had bothered to notice the dark robed figure sitting next to the girl who was arguing with the village champion via the guide. Yume, rather than risk being blamed along with Ranma, stayed silent, much like Genma. As Ranma headed towards the Challenge Log in order to win the feast, or at least so he thought, Yume's ingenious escape plan (which consisted of using a distraction and running like hell) was foiled.

"Hello young one," and aged voice behind him spoke, "I couldn't help but admire the fine workmanship on the weapon you are carrying. Might I inquire as to where you came across this item?"

"You might."

Yume had by this time turned around and was facing what he assumed to be a member of the village elders, the fact that she looked like Cologne really helped in that regard. The hood-shrouded face of Yume stared at the wrinkled face of the woman for a few minutes till the Elder sighed.

"Could you tell me where you got that from?"

"No."

The elder nodded and stepped back her wisdom filled eyes taking on a dangerous appearance.

"Very well, then I'll just have to assume you stole it from us, and therefore will have to retrieve it from you, or kill you then retrieve it."

The elder snapped her fingers. A moment later the space between Yume and herself had become decidedly more shapely. Yume stared at the sight before him. A girl about his age if not older stood before him glaring at him with dangerous purple-blue eyes. The girl stood about a head and a half shorter than Yume, had dark green hair, and a body that could kill. In her hands however she held a wicked looking naginata, which could literally kill.

"For stealing from the Amazon Village, and insulting Elder Lotion, I Perfume will make you suffer."

Yume's response was to begin reaching back for his weapon, he only hoped those lessons that Death had told him about were really good.

Ranma dusted his hands off after having dispensed of Shampoo, and winning the match. However before he could go congratulate her on a good fight after having already fought all day, Yume's body slammed heavily into the log just below him. Ranma looked down as his recently acquired traveling companion used his own scythe to help himself to his feet.

"You okay?"

Yume's response was to spit out a mouthful of blood from under his cloak.

"Oh, *cough* I'm just peachy."

With that he took a more aggressive looking stance with his scythe held at ready.

"Oh yeah don't let that Shampoo girl kiss you."

Ranma stared at 'Bill' and wondered, 'Who's Shampoo?' however it came out a bit differently.

"Huh?"

Just then a green headed blur moved to attack Yume. Yume responded quickly and jumped back swinging his scythe with a practiced ease as his training kicked in. 'Let's see just how good this training is.' Perfume swung her naginata, but was parried by one of the grips of her opponent's weapon. Yume spun his weapon and knocked her own weapon off balance before swinging the bladed end at her feet, which she managed to flip away from just before it carved a small trench into the ground. Landing softly with the naginata held across her chest she looked at her opponent differently. While his aura was weaker when compared to a fighter of her caliber, his skill seemed to be just the opposite. As the two warily circled one another, Lotion had been joined by Cologne in her observation of the fight. Ranma and his father having long since fled not having heeded Yume's hastily dispensed advice. Thus leaving Yume to fend for himself against the green haired Amazon, and quite possibly the rest of the village. Again the two combatants collided weapon clashing against farm tool styled weapon. Yume managed to hook the handle of Perfume's naginata between the blade and a grip and thus forced her to let the weapon go or risk loosing a hand. As her weapon clattered to the ground, she quickly put some distance between her and the robed scythe wielder, and took up an unarmed stance. However rather than attacking her as she had expected, Yume moved to her naginata and picked it up in his left hand. Swinging it a few times as if to get a feel for it Yume smiled and them threw it back to her. She caught it with no difficulty what so ever, her suspicious gaze was met by Yume's mostly hidden face as he spoke.

"I won't fight you without a weapon. Now then this time first to submit or get knocked out wins right?"

She nodded at the challenge this was personal now, he had challenged her and she was going to beat him. Yume stood back a relaxed grip on his scythe, however mentally he was partly congratulating himself on the save, while kicking himself for it. 

'There would be no way I can beat her without a weapon. She's stronger than I am.'

Perfumed charged again spinning around as she reached Yume, before she got close enough to jab him in the stomach with the butt of her weapon he swung and hooked one of her legs with the lower grip, tripping her. She rolled away from his follow-up Dragon Stomp. 

It continued like this for almost ten minutes each attacking, and the other managing to buy time with a counter-attack. However Yume soon realized that he was in trouble. He was breathing heavily and sporting a few bruises, however Perfume was sporting bruises as well as cuts. 'Dammit I can't keep this up for long, she's got more training than I do so she's got better endurance and more strength. My skill is no good to me if I can't hold the weapon to use it. Stupid 'Breaking Point Technique' training.' 

Of which Perfume had given Yume a first hand demonstration. His mind worked fast trying to come up with a way to beat her.

'The only way I'll be able to beat her is through magic.'

Yume almost lost his head at his startling realization. Before elaborating n the idea he managed to do a back flip (surprising himself) and escape the Amazon warrior. After getting a good distance between them he came up with a plan. Thinking of the spells he now knew (pretty basic ones) he came up with one that would work if he pulled it off just right. Rearing his scythe back far behind him he began to cast a fireball spell, channeling it through his snath and into the blade. With a mighty swing, a mental release of the spell, and a shout of, "Blazing Blade" he fired his attack. It worked like he hoped it would the fire took on the shape of a blade and flew towards his opponent.

"You think you can fool me with an illusion? HA!"

With that said Perfume stood her ground having not sensed any chi or ki (and not knowing of magical attacks) from the thing streaking towards her. Yume's eyes widened in shock as she stood there leaving herself completely open to the 'Blazing Blade'. Her eyes widened in shock and pain as the 'illusion' struck her dead in the chest. Her pained scream echoed off the walls of the buildings around them. She hit the ground hard and wasn't moving; the stench of charred flesh permeating from her fallen form.

'Oh SHIT, I know what happens to me if I beat her, but I have no clue what would happen if I killed her.'

As all the things he thought that they could do to him the one thing he knew wouldn't be his punishment, was death, by snou snou. And so not being able to sense the lifelines that bound a person's soul to their body, he quickly panicked and rushed to try and revive her. His scythe fell as its owner released his grip on it, the blade cleaving into the ground. Yume's thoughts were basically along these lines.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, FUCKING Shit.'

Yume's arms almost moved of their own accord as he began trying to heal her. Arcane symbols glowed in the air above the fallen form of Perfume. Eventually the symbol became complete and flashed brightly before it seemed to get sucked into Perfume's chest. Lotion and Cologne both simply stared at the display of magical power that Yume had just performed. Yume looked at the freshly healed body of Perfume, however there was something severely out of place. Namely the lack of the rise and fall of her chest indicating that she was breathing. However before he could ponder ideas of performing artificial respiration, (or at least trying to) Perfume's eye shot open and her gaze instantly focused on him. Not having expected the sudden movement he froze like a dead caught in the headlights of a speeding semi. Her hand shot out and grabbed the fabric of his hood; he was further surprised as she pulled him into a deep, knee-liquefying, kiss. Yume wasn't sure how long it was till their lips parted, but as they did and he saw that rather heated look in her eyes he could do nothing more than silently lip-synch as she spoke.

"Wo ai ni." (You I love)

Before he could begin his rather Ranma- esque escape, a sharp pain on the side of his neck stopped him. He reached up and pulled a rather elaborate looking dart from his neck and stared at it.

"What the hell is this for?"

Before he received his answer he was tapped on his right shoulder. Turning back and facing Perfume, he was made intimate acquaintance which the knuckles of her right fist.

His head tilted back and the rest of him followed till he was lying on the ground, out like a light. Miraculously his hood remained up and continued to shroud his face.

"For such a skilled fighter husband, you have little endurance and strength, with almost no danger sense."

Yume was unavailable for comment however.

(TBC)

Omake:

Two elderly men sat back to back near a stream.

"So is it over?"

"Not till Ranma and Genma run by being chased by Shampoo."

They continued to sit there neither doing anything. A fish jumped from the stream.

"Why couldn't that have been the cue?'

The other man shrugged. Still they sat there. A tree fell with a thunderous crash, still nothing. A huge sea-monster like tentacle shot from the steam and grabbed a screaming man into the steam as he clawed at the ground, still nothing.

Several hours later however. 

"C'mon pops pick up the pace I have no problem leaving you to get skinned."

[Oh my son is willing to let his] [Father be skinned so he can] [Save his own, the SHAME!]

However said panda did begin to move faster as a bon bori smashed into the ground inches behind him.

"Now?"

"Not yet."

Then an enraged Amazon streaked past.

"Now?"

"Yes, now it's over."

{End}


	3. This is Most Ominous

For disclaimer see prologue.

****

Chapter 02

__

This is Most Ominous

Yume's awareness returned and he realized almost instantly that he wasn't awake. Of course the sprawling white void before him was familiar. His body was still garbed by his cloak, and he still carried his scythe. Moments after his 'arrival,' he was joined.

"Hello boss."

Death nodded his curt greeting.

If they were to have been anyone else able to see them, they would have been surprised at how frighteningly similar the two looked. Both figures' facial features were obscured by their respective heavy hoods. Only subtle differences could be discerned. For example, while Yume's skin had become slightly less tan than from when he had been living, he still had flesh. Whereas Death's body was only bones. And another difference was that while Yume was tall the immense form of Death dwarfed him. Aside from those and a few minor other things they were barely discernable. 

"How was your arrival on the plane?"

Yume merely glared from under his cloak.

"It was a tad bit rougher than what I had anticipated, and the landing left something to be desired ..."

'Yeah like not having been cursed into a man monkey or whatever.'

Death nodded leaning on his scythe a bit.

"But you survived and arrived and that's what's important. I'm sure you will do fine in that parallel dimension I sent you to."

Yume stopped and stared at his superior his hood falling.

"Did you say parallel sir? As in similar to my original plane of existence."

Death nodded.

"Of course, we wouldn't want you to go somewhere in which you were completely alien, that would have been one of the later test sites."

After thinking about how Death had initially said 'You're guess is as good as mine.' In regards to where he would be going.

"Um no disrespect sir. But I am almost certain that I was put in the wrong place."

Death looked at his potential apprentice shifting the grip of his scythe from his right hand to his left. Using his right hand he beckoned Yume forward, where he placed a cold bony hand on Yume's skull. A quick flash and a heavy dizzy spell later Yume regained his senses.

"What was that? It felt like I just got my brain from a mixer."

Death waved his hands unconcerned.

"I just read your memories. It seems you are telling the truth. This is unexpected I will have to consult the higher ups about this."

Yume nodded then began tapping his fingers against the flat of his weapon's blade, suddenly looking worried.

"Uh sir about my trial can I ask you a few questions?"

Death's eyes seemed to glow briefly as he turned to his charge.

"Yes?"

Rather than stutter and avoid the subject, which Death probably knew about already, Yume got straight to the point.

"Firstly, how far can my interactions with the inhabitants of this plane go? Secondly am I allowed to reveal myself to them? Third, what is my mission?"

Death mulled over Yume's questions slowly. Being sure to phrase them correctly so as to avoid confusion with the boy.

"For the first question, you can interact as a normal, wait scratch that, slightly abnormal citizen. As to the second, you most certainly can't reveal it straight out, though you may drop small hints, although nothing too obvious. If you do you will trigger a protection program and you will be unable to reveal the proper information."

Yume nodded.

"As to the third since you were transported to the wrong plane I will have to get a new set of goals for your mission. Until then return to the plane and be careful. I will return when I have been giving the proper information."

Yume nodded and prepared for Death to take his leave, and then for himself to awaken.

"Oh and a few more things Yume."

Yume faced his boss.

"While it seems you are very weak if you practice and work at it your strength will steadily rise."

Yume nodded as that weight was lifted from his mind.

"Um, sir is there a spell or something that I could use to convey a similar image to the one you are projecting now? You know the whole death aura, and the bones look?"

Death tilted his head as he regarded his charge.

"I've never had it described like that before but yes."

With that he places his hand back on Yume's head and a brief shock later Yume knew how to do it.

"Thank you sir."

Death began to move away, only to stop four steps from Yume.

"Yes."

"Huh?"

Yes, you can just don't let it interfere."

"Interfere?"

Death sighed and his bony shoulders slumped a bit.

"You can accept or reject the Amazonian kiss of marriage (after all according to the laws of her people you two are married) if you so wish, however don't let it interfere with whatever mission you get."

Yume smiled and pumped his fist.

"Score."

"And don't let the mortals touch your scythe. It could have... complications."

Yume nodded hearing the serious attitude in his boss's voice.

With that Death vanished, and soon after he vanished as well.

----------

"Pops put me down, we have to go back for Will, we can't just leave him."

[We don't have time for stragglers] [He's not our problem, besides] [we only have one stop left.]

Before the last sign had been flipped Ranma's attention had already been drawn away. He was looking very carefully at where he thought he saw a flash of purple in the woods.

"I think we should go pops."

[Why?]

Genma's answer was put in a form even he could figure out, namely that of an arrow embedding itself in the ground inches from his feet. Genma took off after his already fleeing son. Shortly after they were followed by a pissed off purple haired pretty Amazon princess *try and say that five times fast*.

-----*From here we will leave Ranma and his father. Although there will be periodic check-ins as to their progress across China to their homeland of Japan. And have Yume meet up with them again later in the fic. *-----

Yume's eyelids felt heavy as thought began to return to his body, in fact if he had to say it he would tell someone his whole body felt heavy. Finally after much effort on his part he managed to pry his eyes open. As he looked around the room several adjectives came to his mind, small was one of them. He might have gone so far as to say that the room was "cozy," that is had he known what the word meant. He was lying on a bed that was fairly soft, from what his back was telling him. Slowly he managed to tilt his neck and take a look at the whole layout of the room. In front of him was a door, to his right was a wall with a window, and to his left was a small wooden dresser, although it lacked the polished look that he was used to seeing in wood furniture. Above the dresser hung what appeared to be a pair of ornamental spears. Sitting up in his bed he then spotted his bag leaning against the wall next to the dresser.

'Well this is unexpected. I'd have thought that they would have locked me up or something. Oh well.'

Almost deciding to re-enter dreamland, his eyes shot open and he was out of bed.

"Where is my sickle?"

As if to answer his question the door chose that moment to open, revealing Perfume. She stepped into the room with her eyes narrowed, her arms crossed in front of her ample chest, with her foot tapping the floor in irritation. Instantly Yume felt the resounding urge to drop to the floor and grovel pathetically at her feet. Shaking his head in order to clear it he stood up to his full height for one of the first times since he had arrived *most of the time he has been slumped over so as to better blend*. From his vantage point he easily looked down on Perfume. Despite the obvious size differences, in both mass and stature she wasn't backing down, causing Yume's eye to flit over to the spears on the wall, knowing full well that he couldn't face Perfume unarmed and hope to win. At least not for a while.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Yume's eyes flitted back to the spears as he thought about his answer.

"Out."

"Out to where?"

Swallowing his growing unease he decided to go for it and keep up his aloof 'I'm better and you know it' attitude.

"Out to retrieve MY weapon." 'Oh yeah reeeal smooth Casanova.'

If it were possible Perfume's eyes narrowed even more at his underlying challenge.

"It's not your scythe, you stole it and you know it."

At this point had anyone chosen to step in-between them, that unfortunate soul would have been eviscerated and left for dead.

"I'll have you know that it was given to me as part of my training."

Before Perfume could reply, another Amazon entered the room and began speaking rapidly in Mandarin. As the conversation continued Yume found that he was beginning to be able to pick up certain words.

"..... fainted ....... darkness ........ your Husband ........ weapon."

After the mention of what he assumed had been himself and a weapon his thoughts turned to his scythe. After all the blade of his weapon did have that appearance of utter darkness as opposed to it having the black color of its handle. Using the conversation that the two girls were having as a good distraction, he slipped past them into the hall and eventually out of the house.

Luckily enough for Yume the village wasn't really that large. By finding the challenge log that hung in the center of the village he was able to gain his bearing and was able to take note of the path that he and Perfume had fought. Following the trail of gashes, small craters, and the occasional smear of blood that littered the ground, he came upon a crowd of people (which he assumed were Amazons). 

'I wonder what has them in such a huff.'

Easily looking over the majority of the crowd he saw what was happening. One of what he assumed was the village warriors, was curled into the fetal position, with her weapons dropped to the ground forgotten, she was shivering violently (however just shy of convulsing) the whole time barely making a sound. Around her village elders and people spoke as excitedly as Perfume had upon the other girls arrival, all the while gesturing between the fallen girl and Yume's black handled scythe. The weapon itself had its blade embedded in the ground, its handle jutting from the soil at an approximate forty-five degree angle. Just deciding 'to hell with it' Yume shrugged and began forcing his way through the crowd, after all what could they do to him, lock him up? Taking hold of the handle he felt a small jolt and dismissed it, pulling lightly the blade wretched from the ground. Spinning it he righted the weapon and brushed some dirt from the surface of the blade. As he turned to leave he noticed something was wrong, all the talking was absent and silence had taken its place.

"Stop." 

The firm voice shattered the silence. Not even bothering to look around at eye level he focused towards the ground. His eyes were, one wouldn't say greeted, more like assaulted, by the sight of three what he guessed were elders. He recognized two of the three, the closest was Lotion, and behind herself Cologne and another flanked her.

"What do you think you are doing young man?"

Still going with his 'ah to hell with it' attitude he answered.

"Well, I'm carrying this weapon of Mine back to .... wherever it was that I woke up, then I figured I'd grab my bag and go."

Lotion turned and conferred with the elders then turned her gaze back to him.

"Might we have your name?"

Yume smiled at the phrasing of the question but decided to answer anyways.

"Sure. My name is Yu.... er that is to say my name is Will."

"No last name?"

"Nope I'm a Roman."

The elders raised their eyebrows as one (it was pretty creepy) and Cologne spoke.

"You mean Ronin?"

Yume thought about it.

"Yeah I guess that too, sort of."

Before the questioning could continue, Perfume arrived and she was, well ..... fuming.

"Where the hell were you? I turn my back on you for ten seconds."

"Fifteen actually."

Yume's further snide comments were cut short by Perfume's glare.

"AS I was saying, for ten seconds and you go and disappear."

It was here that Yume saw something odd, while he heard her speaking, her lips moved in a different fashion. It seemed to Yume like he was watching a poorly dubbed movie. He raised his hand to her forestalling any further comments.

"Could you speak Japanese for me for just a few seconds."

She merely blinked at the odd request and gave him a perplexed look. With that she switched to Japanese. (Apparently she had been speaking Mandarin before).

"Why do you need me to speak Japanese? You seemed to understand my Chinese enough to correct me earlier."

Yume nodded absently as she again had the dubbing all wrong. Before she could continue he spoke again.

"English now please."

Perfume was now confused; she turned to Lotion trying to seek some kind of guidance. Lotion however just shrugged her shoulders and motioned for her to continue.

"Why Perfume need speak Engrish?"

Yume shouted at his small victory.

"Right there!"

Perfume stared at him as though crawfish were crawling from his eyes. Yume merely smiled.

"Thank you I wanted to see something."

With that the black hooded figure turned and walked in the direction that he came from. Perfume stood for a few moments just gaping at his back, and then she quickly followed her erstwhile husband/fiancee. Lotion began to cackle uproariously and followed the retreating pair. Soon after the group's departure the remaining elders had the crowd disperse and the still shivering girl taken to the healer's hut.

The door to Perfume's house had seen its fair share of abuse, insistent young suitors, panicking villagers, angry warrior girls, etc. However it was barely able to hold its own against the force that Perfume slammed it open with. Storming into the house Perfume quickly moved into and down the short hallway of her house, stalking to the guestroom. rearing back, the thin guestroom door stood even less of a chance than the front door would have as Perfume kicked it into the next world. *We will now observe a brief moment of silence to honor the soul of the recently departed door. . . . . . . . . Thank you* Her ire at her unknowing husband dissipated a good deal when she saw him on the bed. She wasn't expecting to see 'Will' lying on the bed holding up a rather large book and reading. Her surprise was furthered aided in it campaign to reign in her anger, as she watched the rather peculiar sight of a black furred tail, swaying back and forth on the bed. But she was further surprised when she actually looked at him. The hood, which had been obscuring most if not all of his face, was lowered revealing to her what her husband looked like. His hair was thick and looked black, although she did notice that when the light hit it at the right angle it gave off a brown sheen. His dark blue eyes were slightly sunken into his skull, and thin giving him a rather creepy appearance. Overall she had decided to herself, he wasn't as bad looking as she had expected someone wearing a hood like that would have been. Although she did notice he was a bit pale. He looked to the door and smiled at her, as though he had just realized she was there.

"Yes?"

She shook her head vigorously trying to re-summon the anger she that she had had earlier and glared at him. 

"Just what do you think you are doing."

He stayed silent for a moment, then looked at her, then back at his book, finally back to her.

"Um ... I suppose I was reading."

Perfume barely managed to catch herself as she face-faulted.

"I mean what makes you think you can just wander around our village and take things?"

She resumed the pose she had when Yume had first woken up.

"Well the fact that it is mine has a bit to do with it."

As she began to open her mouth in order to refute his statement and tell him he was wrong, she got a painful surprise, in the form of a gnarled wooden cane hitting the back of her head.

"Be silent child."

Perfume jumped as she heard Lotion speak. She quickly spun around and faced Lotion her mouth agape. 

"But ... but great grand ...... I mean honored elder, what do you mean?"

Lotion let off a small bark of laughter as she patted Perfume on the leg (which at her current vantage point was as high as she could reach).

"Oh my dear child, you know there is no need for such formalities in our home. Call me great-grandmother if you wish you know it's not disrespectful here."

"Sorry great-grandmother."

Lotion smiled and moved into the room, she then proceeded to hop onto the bed.

"Hello son-in-law."

Lotion always liked the part where the unwary outsider was informed that by the laws of the Amazons he was now married to the girl he had defeated in combat. Meanwhile Yume was struggling quite valiantly against his urge to say "score" as he looked over Perfume. Perfume's cheeks reddened at her grandmother's behavior.

"What's up Honored .. uh .. Elderly ... Great-Grandma-in-law?"

Lotion fell over and Perfume stared at him.

"What did I say something wrong?"

Lotion managed to regain her dignity, and cackled at the boy's antics, taking a seat at the foot of the bed as Yume sat up. Perfume on the other hand sat on the edge of the bed in-between Yume and Lotion.

"It would seem great-granddaughter that your husband already knows about the Kiss of Marriage."

Yume shrugged.

"I don't know that much, just the part about marry outsider who wins if male, and kill if female. Although I do have to confess I hadn't planned on sticking around long enough to have gotten it."

The urge to smack himself in the head was amplified as he took in the rather angry looks both Perfume and Lotion were sending his way. Perfume turned away and made a 'humph' noise. Lotion's look of anger turned to anger and curiosity.

"And why would you have done that? Do you think that Perfume is ugly or unworthy of you attention?"

Perfume's head whipped back his way and her earlier glare was intensified. Yume was quick to jump onto the defense, waving his hands in front of himself to cushion the anger directed his way.

"Oh Lord no. Perfume is a babe, and a hell of a good kisser if past experience serves me correctly. Although that follow-through shot is a kicker. I mean I don't even think he village champ hold a candle to her."

Yume prayed his compliments would help pull his singed ass from the fire. He was relieved to see Perfume blush.

"I just didn't plan on letting myself get tied down. I was only planning on staying as long as I was required to. Now however there may be a conflict of interests."

Lotion raised her eyebrow.

"Whose interests?"

Yume remembering what Death had told him tried to come up with a good hint that would help him but not be too obvious.

"I can't really say much due to my job, but my boss is very much like Charon."

Perfume looked at him oddly then voiced the question that she was itching to ask.

"Who's Charon?"

Yume smiled coolly. Barely resisting the urge to say 'Ah that is a secret'.

"If you figure that out you will be that much closer to finding out."

The glare that Perfume directed at him barely had any of her previous intensity in it.

Lotion smiled at the two, and stood up.

"Well I'll lave you children alone."

With that said she left the room her cackle lingering in the air for a few more seconds. Yume shrugged and rolled onto his back, lifting the heavy book above his head and resumed reading. Perfume tilted her head and gave him an odd look. Before Yume could react Perfume reached over and snatched the book from him.

"Can I help you with something?"

He asked as he tried to retrieve the book. Perfume less than half paid attention to him as she dodged around his attempts to get his reading material. Finally with a heavy sigh she shrugged and dropped the book onto the floor, incidentally having it land on his foot.

"What are you reading Will?"

Hopping around nursing his abused foot Yume's only reply was a string of muttered curses. Finally after he managed to regain his 'footing' he bent over and collected his book.

"Well I had been reading this book before someone had decided to come and start screwing around with it."

Sitting back on the bed where Perfume was currently lounging in his former position, Yume began to thumb through the pages while complaining quietly about nosy wives. Perfume, of course in coincidence with the newly doubled force of Murphy's law that was affecting Yume, heard him complaining and whapped him soundly on the head. As he rubbed the sore spot on his head, he began to question whether he made the right decision by accepting the kiss of marriage. Shaking the questions of what might have been off he returned to reading. He felt Perfume shift on the bed and assumed that she was getting off ...... the bed. (Though the thought of the other crossed his mind for more than an instance.) He was surprised however, when he felt her rest her head on his shoulder.

"So what does that say?"

In his rather awkward position he was rather oblivious to her rather blatant use of her powerful feminine charm to get the answers she wanted.

"Well it's telling how to properly harness the threads of magic and manipulate them into creating a fireball."

She leaned over a bit and looked at the chicken scratch that littered the page and decided to play along.

"So what would that do?"

Yume smiled as he held out his hands and ignited a small ball of unreal looking blue-green fire. Curious she began to reach out to touch it only to have Yume dispel it with a wave of his hand before she was able to make contact with it.

"You may not want to touch that, it is extremely hot."

She looked at him with doubt clear in her eyes as she had felt no heat coming off the ball.

"Well I mean it did do quite a number on you before, didn't it?"

Perfume was struck by sudden realization.

"You used that in our fight didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Yes that was what made my 'Blazing Blade' so devastating."

He suddenly became quite aware of her annoyance as her grip on his shoulder tightened to a near painful level.

"Um is there a problem dear?"

Her grip loosened to a more tolerable level and she moved her head so she could look him in the eye.

"Did you hit me with that attack on purpose?"

"Not really I was going to use the attack as a distraction and then make my getaway. I never expected you to stand and take it head on like you did."

"Is that why you healed me?"

Perfume already knew about what had happened while she was out and was very happy to know that 'Will' cared enough that he would heal her, even after she attacked him.

"Yeah."

"So why is it that you stayed."

Yume blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well you kind of caught me off guard with that Kiss of Marriage. After I had healed you I couldn't see you breathing so I thought you needed artificial respiration. But then you kissed me and said those words and that basically meant the two of us were married so I had to stick around."

Yume assumed a pose that spoke greatly of honor and duty.

"Then again what kind of idiot would run out on a marriage with such a babe."

'At least he's honest I guess.'

Perfume did blush a bit at his compliment after all when one was the village enforcer, compliment were few and far between. As she turned to say something to Yume she was surprised when he gave her a deep, if clumsy and awkward, kiss. As their lips parted Yume smiled broadly and laid back onto the bed to continue reading. Perfume on the other hand had decided on some other activities for them to engage in as opposed to reading. (Yume was in for it now.)

(TBC)


	4. The Big Time

For disclaimer see prologue.

{ …. } -thought speaking

****

Chapter 03

__

The Big Time

Yume started awake and knew something was wrong. All around his was darkness, the exact opposite of the void he normally met his master in. This place felt heavy as if moving would be too much effort. It was like he was in water; it took just a bit more effort to move. As opposed to endless whiteness, this was endless dark. His robe with its odd coloring blended seamlessly with the surroundings making him all but disappear. 

"Ahem."

The sound instantly caught his attention, and he spun around as fast as his body would let him. Quickly as he could he brought his scythe to bear and stood ready. What greeted him however was an odd sight. A man, shorter than himself, in a brown version of his own cloak stood before him.

"Greetings Will or should I say Yume?"

Tightening his grip on the scythe Yume spoke slowly.

"How do you know my name? More importantly who are you and where are we?"

"I am the soul of the one who drown in the spring you fell into at Jusenkyo."

Yume nodded taking notes down in a notebook.

"As to why I am here …. Well your new mantle seems to have an adverse effect on the magic of the pool. It seems to attract souls that have yet been sent to the beyond. I believe that if you had touched any of the other pools you would have taken that pools trapped soul as well."

Yume nodded and continued taking notes as he finished he dispelled the pen and notebook (it is his mind after all). He then began to look around the figure before him.

"What may I ask are you looking for?"

"The monkey."

The figure before him face-faulted hard.

"Monkey?"

"Well the guide said that I fell into the spring of the drowned man holding a monkey."

"No the only thing to drown there was me."

The figure's tail made an appearance as he waved for Yume to see. The smile on Yume's face faltered as he heard that.

"Oh no …. Please tell me you're not a saiyian."

"A what? I'm just a sorcerer that was cursed by an enemy warlock. It was the same warlock that drowned me there."

"So you're just a normal sorcerer with a curse?"

"Basically."

Yume shoulders sagged in relief as he let out a shaky breath.

"So what exactly do you want? I can't send you to the beyond; I still lack proper soul reaping training. And the last thing we want is for me to try and botch it and trap you in limbo or something."

The figure shook his head vehemently. 

"Oh no I certainly don't want that. I mean this is a better spot than the bottom of that pool."

"So what do you want then? If you want to take over my body I'll have you know that I won't let it go without a fight."

So saying Yume brought his scythe to a tighter grip before him. Again the figure shook its head.

"No, no, no, I've grown through my teens once already and that was enough. I have no desire to do it again. However it would seem that it is advantageous for me to help you in assisting you in your trial."

"Oh? And how would you do that?"

"Well as I previously stated I am quite an accomplished sorcerer in my own right. However I haven't mentioned much else."

Yume nodded and re-summoned his pad of paper and pen.

"My name is …. Err …. Was Typhous I was a mage in this valley some 5000 years ago. The cursed springs were a rather spectacularly failed experiment of mine."  
Yume took a moment to digest that and shuddered at the thought of the power and control needed to make such a place. He remembered the power he had used to cast the fireball spell and that to him felt like a lot. Jusenkyo however was a massively monumental site of concentrated magical energy. 

Near the springs is a rocky cliff-side there is where I made my home long ago. If my guess is correct it should still be there."

"So?"

"So in there is my collection of magical texts, scrolls, and tomes. Many of which go far beyond the book you are currently reading."

Yume stopped writing and began to ponder this. As it was he had absolutely no idea what kind of trial he would have to face and any advantages he could get would help immensely.

"What do you get out of this?"

"Aside from not spending eternity in the bottom of that pool or an equally dreary abyss?"

"Wait a sec if you created Jusenkyo why didn't you use your magic to get yourself out?"

"To perform magic I need a physical outlet when that warlock killed me and tossed my body into that pool my soul became trapped. That is of course till you came along."

Yume took to sitting and what he guessed was the equivalent to that floor and thought about that. After all it seemed like a decent enough deal. He gets knowledge and possible goodies and Typhous get a ticket out of the pool and a free comedy show.

"Well I guess as long as you don't try to take over or nothing I see nothing to hold me up."

Holding out his hand as he stood Yume smiled at Typhous.

"It's a deal."

Typhous smiled and firmly shook Yume's hand.

"Deal."

---------

Yume started awake in the darkness of his temporary room. Resting quite comfortably on his left arm was his new bride, Perfume. As he looked around the room he could see the shadows playing off the walls. The trees outside the window shifted softly in the breeze casting all the shadows into a slow dance around the room.

{Come, Yume we must go there is much to do.}

'Huh well there goes the idea of that having been a dream.'

With that Yume began the rather tricky task of prying Perfume from his arm. In the end he was forced to make liberal use of his scythe and a rather handy pillow. Once done Yume shook his cloak out and grabbed his scythe, giving Perfume a light smile.

'I won't be gone long will I?'

{No, of we make good time we should be back before dawn.}

With that Yume nodded and made his way out of the house.

As he approached the gate he stopped when he noticed the two rather alert guards. Two of them total were scanning both inside and outside the village walls. Sliding up next to a building safely out of visual range Yume decided that he would ask a question to his accomplice. 

'Just out of curiosity why don't you just …. You know give me all of your knowledge?'

{Doesn't work like that. Your body needs to experience the training process so that you can build the proper power and control. Except for the initial power-up when you got the body, you have no magical skills what so ever. So while you can use magic you need practice to increase your control over it so you don't end up hurting yourself or pulling a muscle or something.}

The fact that Yume was confused was like saying the sun was bright, it was just a given. His response was basically.

'So no book no new powers?'

{*sigh* Basically.}

'Okay.'

Now with that out of the way Yume and Typhous were returned to their initial problem, how to get out of the village without any trouble. Yume happened to be looking around for something to throw in order to create a distraction, when his eyes caught the moonlight reflected by his scythe. In that instant Yume was struck with inspiration. Remembering what his boss had implanted in his head. Calling upon the powers needed, his form began to shift. Slowly his flesh began to seemingly melt away from him leaving nothing more than bare bleached-white bones. Although melted was as such a correct term as having said it evaporated, taking the form of a hazy black mist around his form. His height instead of shrinking as one would have thought grew at least six inches. Even the tail of his newly acquired cursed form (from which he had yet to change back) was not spared, it seemed to form an interlocking bone chain belt that surrounded his waist and tied in the back, adding to his overall appearance. Even his scythe changed, the blade or darkness had faded leaving a new shiny and wickedly sharp silver colored blade. Using said blade he took stock of his new appearance. The sight that greeted him was a hollowed skull. Slowly his pulled the hood of his cloak over his head returning it to shadowed obscurity. Please at his new appearance he slowly made his way to the gate and comforted in that fact that no one could really recognize him. By the time he was within four feet of the gate he was spotted.

"Halt who goes there?"

Yume pondered a response, and then rasped out one word.

"End."

That said he began to move forward again the light of the torches seeming to actively avoid his very presence. The younger of the guards reached out and grabbed his cloak halting his movement.

"You aren't leaving Will, very bad thing happen to a man who walks out on and Amazon wife."

His face still obscured in shadows he turned and rasped to the guard a slow mist rolling from his mouth as he did so.

"I know not of this mortal you speak of, as I said before."

Then he pulled his cloak down reveling the skull that was his head. Staring at the now frightened guard with his cold empty sockets.

"I am End, I am Death.'

The girl's hands recoiled quickly in both fear and shock. Yume continued.

"My business here is done for now, let me pass."

Neither girl argued as he stepped past them and into the night almost instantly disappearing into the darkness.

After quite a bit of walking he came to a stop when he felt Typhous speak in his mind.

{Turn left here.}

Looking to his left he saw a rather thick tangle of forest and shrugged. Still maintaining he death façade the cloaked skeleton move silently into the brush. After a bit of walking and a good deal of hedge trimming with his scythe he found the cliff-face he was looking for, at least he hoped so.

{Now follow the rock face north till you reach a corner of sorts.}

'Corner?'

{You know a ninety-degree corner.}

'This cliff has one of those?'

{ ….. Yes.}

'Ok … then what?'

{I'll tell you when we get there.}

So Yume moved north ducking under the occasional branch or outcropping from the cliff-side.

High above unbeknownst to our schizophrenic hero. A phoenix sentry was watching the trespasser, with the strange aura, move deeper into phoenix territory. Already he had sent his partner back to Mount Phoenix to inform Lady Kiima of this development. So now as opposed to attacking he flew gently above and behind the cloaked figure, making sure to keep him in sight.

Yume finally reached the only thing he'd seen so far that resembled a corner. 

'So now what?'

{Look up and to your left. See that root sticking out of the rock? Pull it.}

As Yume did just that he began to hear a sound much like running water. A few moments later a part of the cliff-face began to fall away and formed a door. Cautiously he stepped into the darkness of the cave and out of the light provided by the moon. 

{Now hurry enchant your blade with a low illumination spell, and pull the root back to close the door.}

Yume puzzled over the illumination spell for a moment till it came to him. Slowly he cast the spell and the blade of his scythe lit up with a dull bluish-green glow. Focusing he made the light a bit brighter then turned around and pulled the root that was now on his right. He heard the sound of moving water again and turned to his right. 

'What's with the water noises?'

{Basically I devised a system to open the door using an underground spring, and a system of pulleys. You pull the root one way and a basin fills with water weighing it down and pulling the door up. Pushing the root in the other direction triggers a drain the empties the basin and closes the door.}

By now the drool that rolled down from Yume's mouth was beginning to form a sizable puddle.

{ …. Let's get going.}

'Uh yeah.'

With that Yume began his descent into the bowels of the cave.

Outside the sentry that was trailing Yume now stood near the entrance to the cave his eye riveted to the root that he had seen the stranger pull to make the door appear. Trying to let little distract him due to the fact the he could easily loose sight of the right spot in the dim moonlight. Moments later he was hailed by his partner followed closely by Lady Kiima leader of the royal guard. His eyes still fixated on the rock-face he addressed the two.

"The intruder entered into the cliff-face through a secret door here."

Kiima nodded and looked at the officer coolly though he could not see it.

"Show where and how Talon."

"Yes my lady."

Slowly he reached forward and pulled on the same root he had seen the figure pull earlier. The sound of moving water was heard by the three in the quiet of the nighttime forest. When the door finally opened they all peered in and at the end of the declining path they saw a light fade. Slowly Kiima straightened and nodded. Turning to Talon and his younger partner she spoke.

"You two follow down, observe what you can and avoid detection at all costs. I must confer with Lord Saffron about this."

The two winged sentries nodded and saluted. Kiima then spread her wings and took flight back in the direction of Phoenix Mountain. Talon waited a moment then turned and nodded to his companion.

"I'll take lead you follow behind. Remember be careful."

His companion nodded and slowly they began their descent down the dark path.

Yume sighed as he continued to use his scythe as a flashlight, and a thing to clear cobwebs from his path. Finally he came upon a rather heavy wooden door. Looking at it he tried to pull it open but to no avail. Smirking he reared back with his scythe and with a mighty lunge forward he tapped the blade against the doorknob and pushed the door inward.

{Very dramatic.}

'Thanks.'

However further exchanges were stopped as Yume suddenly heard an odd sound. It was a slow steady and rhythmic sound like a, "Tap …. Tap ….Tap." If he could judge the way the echoes bounced off the walls then he could tell it was coming from behind him.

'Oh shit I think we're being followed.'

{Why do you think that?}

'I think I hear footsteps.'

{Hurry enter the chamber and bolt the door, hopefully it will buy us enough time to get ourselves ready.}

Yume nodded and quickly slipped through the opening and into the chamber. Once inside he found a relatively sturdy piece of wood and used it to bar the door shut. Leaning against the door for a moment he sight then held his scythe out before him lighting the room. The walls he could see were stone and grimy looking; the furniture was strewn about the room haphazardly. And directly before him was a sturdy looking bookcase that was positively overflowing.

{Go to the table in the center of the room, you'll find a book lying open near a scrying orb.}

'A what?'

{A crystal ball.}

Yume nodded and did as he was instructed by the voice in his head. Carefully he lifted the massive book and looked at the faded pages. The page had nothing more than gibberish scrawled across it. Taking a second look the gibberish seemed to reform right before his eyes and became legible.

{No towards the center of the left page is a short spell cast it.}

Again Yume did as he was instructed. As the magic coalesced during the casting he could almost feel the room tighten in response. The wall felt harder the door felt stronger. 

{That's a barrier spell you're casting. It should keep anyone normal at bay for a while.}

Yume nodded heaving a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted to do was go up against a Musk or a member of the Phoenix people. He was pretty sure he could hold off and average Amazon warrior, but the other two he wasn't counting on it. Finally Yume completed the spell and yelled the final focal word.

"Shield."

No sooner had the word left his lips, that he felt the air in the room freeze and then burst into motion as if all the air in the room left and moved into the walls hardening them. As suddenly as the sensation had begun had it ended.

"Whoa."

{Now we must hurry there's no telling who is following us or how powerful they are.}

'So what do I do?'

{Open the book to the green placeholder.}

Yume looked over the placeholders sticking from various positions in the book and definitely couldn't find any green one. In fact most of them seemed a dingy gray color. Throwing caution to the wind he picked on and flipped to it.

'Okay … Now what?'

{There should be a spell for storage cast it into your cloak. It should let you carry what you need without much effort on your part.}

Yume breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the bold letter that stated **Storage Spell**.

'So it's kind of like an easy version of Hidden Weapons?'

{Uh …. I guess.}

'SWEET.'

{Now hurry the is much to do and little time left if we want to get back to the village before dawn.}

So with that Yume began to learn his next spell.

Talon and his cohort scanned the walls of the dark hallway with their sensitive eyes. Even though during the day there would have been little light coming into the hall, there was far less since it was night (although early morning would be a better term). Talon looked down at his young partner. This was an odd occurrence by any stretch of the imagination this being only the boys second patrol must be doing havoc on him.

"How are you holding up kid?"

The kid jumped at the sudden noise in the otherwise quiet tunnel.

"I'm doing ok sir. I just hope that whatever this is, it isn't too serious."

"We can only hope. We can only hope."

So they continued making their way down the narrow tunnel and high alert.

Yume sighed and wiped some sweat from his skull's brow, as he bent down to get more manuscripts, and tuck them into the volumes of his cloak. While it had been a relatively easy spell to cast it still took a good deal of his energy to make the area he needed to store all the stuff with. The 'moving' of Typhous' lair was indeed a long process but he was making good time. He began to ponder whether or not he should drop his death guise, but Typhous made his opinion known.

{I would not suggest it, as of now we have no idea how the guise affects your energy levels. As far as we know this could be the only thing keeping you from being completely spent and defenseless for whoever is out there.}

With such an upstanding case Yume decided against dropping the guise. Beside it did look pretty cool. So Yume began another scan of the room making sure he didn't miss anything. So intent was he in noticing important thing that he never noticed the crack in the floor that just happened to catch the edge of his bony toe. With a startled yelp he fell forward and into the now mostly empty bookcase. With a resounding "Whack" Yume smashed into and through the shelves. Lying where he was for a moment he allowed himself to try and regain some semblance of control, or at least a decent coherent thought.

'Ow.'

Worked well enough for him. So he slowly dragged himself to his feet and dusted off his cloak. Looking up he was surprised to see a room was hidden behind the bookcase.

'Classy Typhous, a hidden room.'

{Wait what hidden room?}

'Yeah behind the bookcase.'

{Wait, don't go in there!}

'Oh …. Now I got to.'

However the voice of common sense (which sounded a lot like Typhous) was soundly beaten down by his overwhelming curiosity. So he stepped into the room and watched as his visions slowly cleared as the dust settled. The dark room was lit as he brought his scythe to bear. The air of the room was stale. As he looked around the empty room his vision fell upon a pedestal. On top of it bound to it with heavy rusted chains was a rather odd looking spear, perhaps even a naganita. However the thing that really got his attention was the decorative ribbon. It was tied even and cleanly near the head of the weapon. It was what said ribbon was doing that really surprised him. It was currently wrapping around his leg. Quickly he began kicking at it in an attempt to dislodge it from his leg. As he did so a strangled disembodied voices echoed in his ears.

"Free us. Release us."

The voice sounded as if two voices were speaking in tandem. Getting a bit worried he decided to listen to reason (Typhous).

'Uh …. Out of curiosity, exactly why didn't you want me to go in here? It wouldn't happen to be another experiment gone wrong, would it?'

Typhous' voice in his head suddenly felt very nervous.

{Uh …. Err …. No?}

'Uh huh. Want to try that one again?'

{Oh alright you got me, I had heard stories of a powerful weapon. A rune weapon. It was said that the Rune Sword had a soul trapped in it and that was what gave it its tremendous power. So I figured that if I did it right I could make an equally powerful weapon. Unfortunately when I summoned to soul to possess the weapon, something went wrong.}

'Roughly translated you screwed up.'

{More or less. Anyways whether it was a misspoken word or whatever, two souls were brought forth, one evil and malicious and the other Kind but quite powerful}

'Yin and yang?'

{Basically, so not only did it attempt to split the weapon but also it gave the entities a near physical form. Luckily both were evenly matched and weaken by their attempts at winning dominance, however their energies changed and mutated the spear I wished to possess. I sealed them together and bound them to that summoning altar.}

Yume nodded in understanding, or at least some semblance of it. Smirking he lifted his scythe high and slashed at the ribbon, but missed, and ended up cutting through the chains binding the spear, thusly freeing the spear. The room flashed with a bright purple light, blinding Yume's sight. He lifted his hand to shield himself and dropped his scythe onto the pedestal. The blinding light faded and the room glowed faintly. Looking down he saw his scythe lying across the spear. Cautiously he reached out and tapped his scythe, but nothing happened. Shrugging he reached down and picked it up. 

[Who? Who's there?]

Yume almost dropped the scythe as the new voice resounded in his head (hey I can name the voices in my head if I want, after-all how else would I tell them apart?) 

'Uh, I'm Yume.'

{And I am Typhous.}

The voice meekly replied.

[Is Master?] 

Before Yume could reply Typhous spoke.

{Yume is your master now.}

[Master Yume.]

Yume seat dropped. 

'Uh I guess. What's your name?'

[We are half of the whole.]

'Uh yeah.'

He looked down at the spear that still lied on the summoning altar. Slowly he picked it up but quickly shoved it into his cloak.

'What should I call you?'

[Siren.]

'Ok …. Siren you do know that you're my weapon, right?'

[Yes Siren serve the Master Yume.]

With that his scythe glowed and shifted the blade lengthening and appearing to become sharper. The grips shifted molding to the contours of his hand. 

{Oh SURE I work and slave over an alter, and what do I get nothing. You stumble in here and Poof! Everything is coming up roses and sunshine.}

Yume grimaced at the mental image.

'Just lucky I guess.'

{Shut up.}

Yume had the distinct impression that Typhous was pouting. He just shrugged it off and left the room. Yume gave the room another glance as he stepped into it trying to do his second sweep, which had been interrupted by his 'trip'.

Talon and his partner reached the heavy wooden doors that led to Yume. As they attempted to open it they found that they couldn't get the proper leverage or power to force the door down without making themselves known. So they had to content themselves with waiting. They didn't have to wait long. Soon enough the dark hall was filled with a bright light. Both guards bowed reverently. Saffron had arrived.

Yume shrugged and began to approach the door only to stop when he heard Typhous in his mind.

{I think it might be best to find a different way out especially if we were followed.}

'Good point, so you got a back way out?'

{Sort of, in that big book there should he a teleportation spell towards the front, around the first three pages.}

'Sweet.'

Yume quickly reached into his cloak and withdrew said book and scanned the pages. As soon as he found it he smiled. Unknowingly missing the bright flare of light coming from the cracks in the door. He read the spell and began to cast it envisioning himself back in the room he had at Perfume's house. As he was about to finish the spell the door to the room burst forth in a huge explosion of flame and charred wood. Looking up startled Yume's vision of the room shifted a bit in his mind as he saw a flaming boy step through the wreckage of the door. With a quick squeak of the spells release word he disappeared. Saffron's eyes narrowed as he watched the strange figure's image waiver then disappear. It seemed that this cave bared looking into. Turning to his subjects he nodded and walked from the room. The two guards bowing deeply as he stepped past. Kiima bowed as well but not as deeply. 

"Strip this place and burn the remains."

The guards nodded and Saffron left Kiima following closely.

"I don't like this Kiima, I can't help but feel this may come back and cause trouble for me when my ascension to a full phoenix is at hand."

"Don't worry my Lord I'm sure it's only your imagination."

Saffron sighed nodded and looked skyward.

"I hope so."

As he began to fly he can't help but remember the face of the stranger. A skull nothing more, clothed in a cloak of darkness. And for the life of him he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

(TBC)


	5. Will Mustn't Run Away

For disclaimer see prologue.

{ …. } -thought speaking

[ …. ] -Weapon speak

****

Chapter 04

__

Will Mustn't Run Away

By: Master Yume

__

(In heaven, more specifically the Office of Mortal Soul Plane Transferals)

Death sighed as he continued to fill out paperwork. 

"Oh sure I get an apprentice and then the paperwork piles in. I never actually thought that some schmuck would take up the position."

Death had already dropped his 'Death-guise' and scrubbed a pale hand over his face trailing down to the edge of his red-haired beard. Oh how he wished that he could be at home right now, but the Higher-ups had said he needed to go over this paperwork so everything would get straightened out with his new apprentice. His musing were interrupted by a really big annoyance, at least in his mind. Looking up as a shadow fell over his small mountain of paperwork, Death (or Daryl to the people who knew him better) sighed in almost anguish. There at the edge of his rather expansive desk stood one of the few gods he could actually refer to as an 'outside-of-work acquaintance'. Loki smiled that oh so infuriating smile at Daryl.

"Hello Dairy how's tricks?"

"They suck Loki, now what do you want?"

Loki staggered as if hit.

"Oh you wound me; do you think the only reason I'd visit you here is because I wanted something?"

Daryl just looked at Loki his bright red eyebrows level in an impassive stare. Under which Loki's smiling demeanor cracked a bit. 

"Ok you're right I do want something. I want information. About our new apprentice."

Daryl nodded not having exactly heard Loki right.

"Well Yume or Will as he's going by now on the plane he's on, is doing ok. However it seems that the Higher-ups might have planned my little misfire on the spell that sent him to this Ranma-realm. It looks like he may be a bit more useful to them."

Loki nodded sitting on the corner of Daryl's desk. Reaching out he grabbed a few of the papers that Daryl wasn't working on. Slowly he glanced over them and nodded a few times.

"That wasn't what I meant, I already knew about that. In fact I had a hand in it."

Daryl stopped and stared at Loki for a moment, his fingers suddenly itching to grasp his scythe and slice something up but good.

"What do you mean Loki?"

"Well I thought our apprentice could use a bit of a challenge. After all it wouldn't do to have him being unprepared for his new mantels."

Daryl stared at Loki and oh so wished he didn't have to deal with him right now.

"So are you saying that the Higher-ups approved a dual apprenticeship of both our mantels to the same mortal?"

"You got it Dairy boy."

Daryl sighed tiredly, his hands resting tiredly over his eyes. He wasn't sure how but in someway sometime this was going to blow up and it would end up being all over him with Loki coming out smelling like a rose. Sometimes he hated not having become a higher deity. Oh well best deal with what was at hand.

"So were you planning on having me tell Yume or will you do it yourself?"

"I think I'll have you introduce me."

Death sighed, of course this way it would be him that got blamed if Yume wasn't happy about it. Stupid elder gods.

"All right I'll introduce you to him the next time I speak with him."

Loki smiled and bowed a bit.

"Don't worry this will be fun, you'll see…. Partner."

Daryl slipped back into his death-guise as soon as Loki left the room. Oh that sense of impending doom was starting to hum and he just knew something was going to happen that he hadn't taken into account, the next time he met with Yume.

"It's going to be a LONG trial." He could feel it on his bones.

---------

Yume staggered as he reappeared in Perfume's home, coincidentally he managed to appear just outside of a door which, as he landed from his hasty teleport, shattered under his bulk making him loose concentration over his Death-guise and making him return to the flesh. Yume staggered a bit more as he was hit with a rather vicious wave of nausea. Yume sagged against a wall and tried desperately to steady himself.

'Well that certainly was a lot of fun.'

{Ugh.}

[Let's do it again.]

Yume and Typhous both mentally glared at Siren making him/her/it go silent. The clearing of a throat made Yume turn around and immediately wish he hadn't. Standing before him was Lotion in what could be best described as an eye searing flash of pain. (Read as a bathrobe) So saying (or seeing) he collapsed to his knees and began convulsing at the horrible mental image that was incurred by his overactive imagination. Seconds later Perfume rushed into the room her naginata held at ready, and her shirt thrown on hastily. She looked down at the quivering crying mass that was apparently her husband. Lotion looked from Yume to Perfume and raised an eyebrow.

"Well did you lose something? Or were you both too busy to remember where you are?"

Perfume blushed furiously and grabbed her husband by his cloak.

"I'm sorry great-grandmother, it will never happen again."

So saying she proceeded to drag Will into the hall, 'accidentally' hitting his head against the doorframe. He was too busy, clawing at his face and moaning about 'his precious beautiful eyes.' All of this was ignored by Perfume as she 'happened' to cause his head to hit a wall right before hitting the doorframe into the room he was staying in. By now Will was merely crying softly to himself trying to either cope with, or block out the memory of what he had seen. Perfume growled and, in an impressive feat of strength and balance, hauled him over her head and onto the bed. Hitting the soft sheets Will decided to risk a look around and was greeted with the sight of his wife/fiancée/whatever, with her shirt missing a few strategically placed wooden ties. Perfume following his gaze saw her rather lewd state of dress, which she quickly fixed then, doled out proper punishment to her perverted husband. As he rubbed his recently abused head Perfume stood up and crossed her arms over her chest.

"So what were you doing in my great grandmother's room?"

"Uh …. Well…. That is to say…. I was…."

{Sleepwalking.}

"Sleepwalking, yeah that's it I was sleepwalking."

Perfume raised an eyebrow at her husband and let her arms drop to her sides. 

"Are you sure that is all you were doing?"

Will nodded fiercely. Perfume nodded to herself, it seemed that this outsider knew his place already.

"So what do you Amazons do around here besides train?"

Perfume looked at her husband and slinked over to him in just the way that turned most mortal men into jelly. Will however was re-mortal-ed or whatever, but it worked just as good on him.

"Well husband, there are two things that we could do. But you only get to do one today."

Will smiled as she snaked one arm around his neck and curled her fingers in his hair while the other hand reached out and grabbed his twitching tail.

"Really what's that?"

Her smile suddenly grew evil and cruel and he felt his heart drop into his stomach, slashing on the gooey insides causing him to sweat profusely.

"We are going to train. No husband of mine is going to be a pushover."

Will wisely kept his mouth shut and only nodded in the way that only the damned could nod. With that she locked her arm around his neck and held him in a near unbreakable headlock as she drug him through the hut to the outside world. And to his imminent doom.

---------

Lotion sat in what could be the living room of her home and slowly sipped at a glass of tea. It was quite interesting this new husband of her great granddaughter's. He reminded her of someone, but she just couldn't remember whom. She took another sip and sighed, it seemed that the boy had great magical potential and chaos potential, at least that's what the village Lore Master had said during the meeting of the elders. It was also brought up that he could already have control over said magical abilities as had been seen in his fight with Perfume the day before. Seeing as the more experienced elders did not sense any signs of chi from the attack and had thought it was an illusion as had Perfume that is till it hit her. The thought that he had control over magic was furthered when it was recalled that he had healed Perfume after the attack. Lotion sighed again, she was sure that whatever the other elders agreed upon would not be helpful in getting the strange youth to want to stay. She could already hear the old bat Cologne cackling with glee at the thought of such 'strong blood strengthening the Amazon bloodline' and it was not a pretty sound to her ears. She was one of the elders that tended to want to try and move forward a bit and was willing to break tradition for the betterment of the tribe. Her musing were interrupted as the front door slammed open and revealed a rather winded Perfume carrying her very beaten and bruised husband over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Once she reached the common room she plopped her husband on the floor and walked back to close the door. Lotion looked at the grisly visage that Will portrayed. His face seemed like one big bruise, as did most of the skin she could see. Already she could tell that his eyes were swelling shut and he'd have trouble seeing straight for a while. Perfume sat softly into a chair by her husband's corpse and sighed as she rested her head on her hands.

"What's the matter child?"

Perfume just looked up at Lotion and smiled eerily.

"Nothing great-grandmother, I just started to teach my husband the advanced breaking-point technique."

Lotion's eye grew wide at what her ward said. The Advanced Breaking-Point training was even harsher than the first. Instead of using relatively soft boulders this technique used some recently acquired metal bought from a black-market dealer in Hong Kong. He said it was a mixture of Titanium, Steel, and depleted Uranium. In other words this was some tough assed metal. So the training really wasn't different it just involved a much denser and heavier medium to smash…. Er…. Train a pupil with.

"So how did he take it?"

Perfume smiled dreamily as she thought about the training they had done during the day.

"I have to say he recovers quickly. He managed to undergo two whole sessions before he fainted on the third."

That was surprising to even Lotion, while not unheard of usually the only ones that could take that kind of punishment were those who had spent years training their bodies. Not even the village champion was able to undergo that kind of training yet. Which also brought up a rather interesting point to Lotion.

"Why were you putting him though the advanced training? Shouldn't you have started on something easier like the normal training?

Perfume shook her head.

"He is very skilled with his weapon but it's like he didn't train himself he just knew it. His body is completely unable to handle the stress long periods of combat place on it. Like during our fight he said his Blazing Blade had really been a last ditch effort and he was planning to use it as a distraction so as to run away."

Lotion nodded at this revelation. While she had watched the fight she had not been close enough to tell how he was doing physically due not only to the distance but also due to the rather expansive cloak he wore. When the hood was up it nearly hid all of his features completely leaving but few places that could be seen and his face was not one of them. 

"Still it doesn't explain why you're doing that to him."

"Well he needs to build up quickly, after the fight he put up I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a challenge or two, and the last thing I want is to be a widow after less than a week."

Lotion nodded accepting this explanation. After all with the village champion out on an honor hunt the position was opened again till she returned or someone filled it and challenged her upon her return. So that meant lots of girls would be looking for a decent fight in order to practice, and if the show the day before had been any indication it would indeed be best to build him up quickly.

"Very well when he is feeling better I think you should continue his training, just remember that he has limits."

Perfume heaved a deep breath and stood up and grabbed her husband and re-slung him over her shoulder then took him to the guestroom. Lotion sighed and smiled as she watched her great granddaughter drag her lump of a husband back to the room he was staying in. They kind of reminded her of her and her new husband back when she was much younger. Oh to be young and have a virile husband again. Lotion returned to her musings, she had to think of a way to protect her son-in-law before that witch Cologne sunk her claws into the boy and destroyed the thing that made him so powerful, his pride and self-image. Slowly a plan blossomed into being within her head. It was a risky gamble but if she pulled it off then not only would they have a magically inclined ally in her son-in-law but maybe they could find some more strong blood for the village and that power-hungry old bag Cologne. In his unconscious state Will shivered heavily as Lotion cackled with glee.

---------

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Ranma sighed as he gazed into the campfire. He and his father were making remarkable time. Then again having a psychotic Amazon bitch nipping at your heals tends to do that to a person. They had set up camp just outside of Wuhan, a relatively large city on the way to Shanghai, which was where they'd probably stow away on a ship or swim back to Japan from. Still he couldn't get over how cowardly his father had acted when faced with death, his conscious was currently giving him a rather severe tongue lashing as he thought to how they had just abandoned Will in the middle of that village of chicks. He hoped that all Will's talk about magic had been right, even if he didn't trust the stuff it would probably help Will out. Then again he had not been faring too well with that green haired Amazon with the naginata. Maybe someday they'd meet again. With that thought Ranma turned over and let sleep claim his weary bones. Close by his now panda father was snoring away like a chainsaw having long ago fell asleep with no guilty conscious to bother him with. (Whether he had one and was too stupid to notice it or he had lost it long ago was debatable.) 

Nearby the Saotome camp Shampoo rested by a tree her Bon Bori clutched to her chest like heavy metal teddy bears. Some how she always seemed to lose sight of female Ranma, then this strange boy would just pop up and begin walking with female Ranma's panda as if nothing were amiss. Oh well such thoughts were best left till tomorrow after a good night's rest.

(And that concludes our Ranma Update for the time being. We will inform you as to any new noteworthy developments as time progresses. We now return to our regularly scheduled story already in progress.)

---------

Yume awoke to the rather bleary sight of the void, where he generally met his boss. Shaking his head to regain his bearings he heard Typhous speak.

{I am so glad I didn't take over your body. I almost hurt from that ringer Perfume put you through.}

"Ugh."

That was all Yume could really articulate at the moment. A moment later and the amount of black in the otherwise white void increased. Death appeared seeming to just grow from the ground.

"Good evening sir."

Death nodded his reply to Yume then seemed to speak to someone behind him.

"Yume, I have neutral news, bad news and possibly some worse news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Uh no good news?"

Death shook his head.

"Uh let's go from neutral to worse I guess."

Death nodded and tossed Yume a folder.

"Ok, first order of business. It seems that the Higher-ups planned for your little dimensional misplacement. You are to go to Tokyo and wait there. Which ward you choose will be up to you. But you have to be there and have a 'base of operations' for lack of a better word, set up and ready within two months."

Yume nodded and perused the folder not really paying it any attention before tossing it into the volumes of his cloak. This earned merely a raised eyebrow from Death as he proceeded.

"The bad news is that it seems that your contract had an added clause to it that I wasn't informed about until just recently."

"Come again?"

Death pulled out the contract Yume had signed the first time they had met and handed it to him with a special magnifying glass.

"Use the magnifying glass to look over your signature."

Yume looked at his John Hancock and nearly dropped the magnifying glass. Almost his whole name was actually comprised of words forming a seemingly solid line. Which if he read it correctly, and his lessons from _Law and Order_ and _The Practice _were anything to go on then he had basically agreed to any additional clauses to the contract. The added clause he read now was that he accepted to be the apprentice to another higher being.

"So this means I am a dual apprentice?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Does this mean I get a double workload?"

"Probably."

"Damn. So what's the worse news?"

Death sighed and stepped to the side to reveal a smaller blonde haired blue eyed man with a mischievous smile.

"Yume I'd like you to meet Loki Norse god of Mischief and Trickery."

Loki nodded to Yume who merely stared.

"I see you are in awe of my very presence I like that in an apprentice. Good material is so hard to come by anymore."

Yume merely blinked and continued to stare.

"You're kidding me right? I mean the god of mischief? Me? In a Ranma-verse? Is this someone's idea of a joke?"

Death sighed.

"I'm afraid not Yume the Higher-ups decreed it and I am in no position to oppose them."

Yume looked at Death oddly.

"What are you talking about worse news this is great."

Death performed a remarkable face-fault and groaned.

"Huh?" 

"I said this is great do you realize just how good and how much fun it will be to have the power of mischief on my side? If you knew as much about the Ranma-verse as I think I know then you'd be grateful for something like that."

Death sketchily stood and brushed himself off glaring at the giggling Norse deity.

"So you have no problem with this?"

"Well as long as he gives me some goodies too then I think it won't be a problem. Though the idea of me a former mortal holding two positions like this is kind of strange. I'm not about to complain."

Loki smiled he liked the way this boy thought.

"Well I guess I should give you your gifts."

With that a heavily decorated sword appears in Yume's right hand.

"That is a powerful Rune Sword it will be much better than the common scythe you use now."

Yume looked at it and summoned his scythe from the fold of his cloak. Siren seemed to dislike the new sword.

"I don't know I already have a rune weapon and the scythe looks so much more sinister."

Loki and Death looked at each other and blinked as they realized that his scythe was indeed a rune weapon. Inexperienced yes, but a rune weapon nevertheless. Loki snapped his fingers and the sword disappeared.

"What else you got?"

Loki summoned a powerful spell book and tossed it to Yume.

"This is a long thought lost spell book in the plane you're on it's very powerful."

Yume opened it and looked over a few pages then tossed it back to Loki.

"Have it, my copy has color pictures."

"Colored? Can I see?"

"No. What else you got?"

Loki made the book disappear and grit his teeth a bit.

"Weapon training?"

"Got it."

"Disguise technique?"

"Have one and I really like it."

Death smirked at Loki a bit.

"A beautiful woman?"

"Got it even if she is a bit psychotic when it comes to my martial arts training."

Death's smirk grew; he was enjoying Loki get exasperated it didn't happen often. 

"You know Loki its always good to read up on the files before you meet someone."

Loki scowled at his 'partner'.

"Teleportation?"

"Know a spell."

"A new car?"

"Wouldn't help where I am or where I'm going."

"A cute and furry familiar?"

"Does it have to be cute and furry? Can it be dark and evil?"

"No has to be cute and furry says so in the rules."

"Pass."

"Ability to power up exponentially."

"I already had a sayijan scare, I'll pass."

Loki scrubbed his hands over his face refusing to admit that Daryl had been right.

"Riches beyond your wildest dreams?"

"Nah it would throw off the world's economy."

"Prince hood in an extinct or near extinct intergalactic kingdom."

"Hmm, would I have hapless minions?"

"No."

"Pass."

"How about a super power?"

"Such as?"

"Super intelligence."

"Hmm no I think that if I had that I would think too far into things and thus see that no matter what course of action I take it will eventually lead to the same results."

"So that's a no?"

"Right it's a no."

"Enhanced senses?"

"No then it would be hard to filter out noise and other things making me miserable if I were around normal people."

"Super strength?"

"No."

"Ability to control flame?"

"Hmm no I don't want to have to deal with Saffron if something were to go wrong."

Death was becoming a bit surprised; it seemed that Yume had already planned for the possibility of having abnormal powers.

"Just pick something, if I can do it I'll give it to you."

"Now you're speaking my language."

Loki merely nodded a bit and huffed as Yume set to picking his benefit from being apprentice to Loki. Suddenly Yume pulled out a notebook and flipped a few pages into it.

"Ok here's a small list of things, a few, if not all will work well."

Loki took the list and looked it over with Death looking at it from over his shoulder.

"Hmm this is a heavy list. But I think I can pull it off. You had better not screw up understand me? I can't have my apprentice failing."

Yume nodded and saluted.

"Yes sir."

Death looked at the list then at Loki.

"You sure you can pull this off?"

Loki waved a dismissive hand towards Death.

"Yes yes no problem."

With that Loki began to chant in a language long forgotten to mortals, soon a pulsing ball of glowing energy formed in between Loki and Yume. Soon some glowing energy began to leak from Loki, as his chanting became faster and more intense. When the ball became about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle he thus it forward with a shout. Yume blinked dumbly at the incoming ball of energy wondering why his body wouldn't respond to his command of 'get the hell out of dodge' Closing his eye he awaited the incoming pain. But luckily for our protagonist the energy was merely absorbed into his body giving it a strange glow. Loki smirked as Yume opened his eyes warily.

"All done? I don't feel any different."

"Of course you don't the changes won't take affect till you wake up."

Yume nodded at the logic in the thought. Death's head snapped up and he looked around for a bit. 

"We had better go you need to wake up soon."

Both Loki and Yume nodded in eerie synch. To which Death merely blinked and shook his head.

"Remember Yume two months, and you'll need to have you base set up."

"Oh and make sure there's enough room for six to ten people to live comfortably."

With those departing words from Loki both him and Death faded from view and disappeared. Yume shrugged as he felt himself begin to dissolve from this plane

Will opened his eyes and glanced about the room curiously. The sky outside was still dark signifying the early ungodly hour he had awoken. Looking around the room again he spotted his cloak resting at the foot of his bed. Getting up he stretched languidly and cracked his knuckles. As he finished pulling his cloak over his head the door to the room opened and revealed a rather nice image of a fully dressed and ready Perfume.

"Good morning Airen. You're up much sooner than I would have expected."

Will shrugged tilted his head to the side letting one or two of his vertebrae pop.

"The same could be said for you."

Perfume replied in the same manner that Will had, she shrugged. Will nodded and began to walk out of the room as Perfumed let him pass.

"Where are you going?"

Will looked at her and smiled as the tail of his cursed form wrapped around his waist taking on its sash-like appearance.

"To the training ground, you know the saying 'the early student catches the technique'.... Or something like that."

Perfume blinked at her husband as he left the house. Looking back to the interior of the hut Perfume blinked as her rather sleepy-eyed great grandmother watched her. Waving goodbye Perfume quickly followed her husband. Lotion blinked blearily at the closed front door and grunted. Slowly she returned to her room and went back to sleep she was never a morning person and staying awake would have been pointless.

--------

It was much later in the day that found Lotion once again sitting in the common room of her home sipping on some tea. She was currently musing on the proper way to enact her recently made plan of getting her new great-grandson-in-law out of the reach of Cologne. Her musings were interrupted in much the same way as they had been yesterday. Only this time it was the other way around. Will opened the door and slowly carted in Perfumes tired looking form. Lotion raised an eyebrow as Will put a finger to his lips to indicate his want of silence. Carefully he carted his female companion to her room and laid her onto the bed. After he was finished he collapsed into one of the chairs in the common room and let off a shaky sigh.

"Whew that was a long day."

Lotion raised an eyebrow at Will indicating for him to continue, as she sipped calmly at her tea.

"Well I think Perfume was pleasantly surprised at me today. She Fainted shortly after her told me I had mastered the Breaking-Point technique, both of its aspects."

Will frowned mightily as he drug his hand down his face wiping the tea that Lotion had spit on him in her surprise. Lotion on the other hand was currently coughing up a storm trying to control her breathing, The sudden shock of hearing Will say that, had caused some tea to go down the wrong tube as she spit it onto his face.

"Well that was unpleasant."

Lotion stared incredulously at Will as her breathing calmed a bit. Shaking her head a bit she turned her 'good-ear' to Will.

"I'm sorry my hearing isn't what it used to be I thought I just heard you say that you mastered the Advanced Breaking Point technique."

Will stared at her then pulled down the hood of his cloak allowing his face to be seen.

"You're hearing seems to be fine because that's exactly what I said. Or at least that's what Perfume said before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted."

Lotion blinked for a moment or two then nodded her head understanding her great-granddaughter's response. In fact she was feeling a might feint from the idea herself. Then her body reacted almost with out thinking, and her gnarled wooden cane snapped out and struck Will dead in the face. To which Will didn't react much at all other than his eyes turning to regard the piece of wood now lodged in his cheek.

"What was that for?"

Lotion retracted her cane and leaned it against her shoulder as she regarded her son-in-law again.

"I was seeing if what you said was true or not. You have to excuse my initial response it does seem a bit strange that you have mastered such a powerful technique in a matter of two days. On average it would take our more gifted warriors at least a week to master such a technique, at least to master both of its aspects."

Will nodded sagely looking almost like he actually was somewhat intelligent.

"This could prove to be exceptionally bad."

"Why is that Elder?"

"Please son just call me great-grandmother. Because I think Cologne may have taken the idea of you becoming her new student into consideration."

This Will knew was a very bad thing. If Cologne sunk her claws into his rather thick hide he wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off his mission, thus nullifying his contract and in turn his mortality. But still he had to make it seem that he didn't know about what a power hungry critter Cologne was.

"So?"

"So. If Cologne gets a hold of you she'll get all the information that she need from you then turn you into near mindless breeding stock."

While the idea had a bit of merit it still would more than likely cause him an undue amount of trouble.

"So what can I do? I can't stay here I have to get to Tokyo in Japan."

Lotion glared at the boy. However he spoke before she could.

"Look it doesn't matter that I'm Perfume's husband now, I have to go to Tokyo and whether or not she is willing to go make no difference to me."

Lotion's glare intensified as she heard him speak. This little upstart male was talking back like he had a choice in the matter. (Here I'd like to note that even though Lotion was one of the more open-minded Amazon Elders she was still an Amazon and had years of protocol drilled into her.) However her argument to his point was silenced by the eerie glare that he was sending her way.

"Whether or not this pleases you I will be leaving and you and the other elders will be hard pressed to keep me here."

Lotion shook her head and resumed glaring at Will.

"Just who do think you are?"

"I am a person that if I don't get to Tokyo and do as my boss instructed in time I could very well die. This isn't about me wanting to defy you and your traditions this is about me wanting to survive. I will leave as I said now whether I am your ally or enemy will be determined by how you choose to handle this situation."

Lotion's look softened a bit after all he was still trying to be respectful.

"What do you mean my actions?"

"I mean your actions because I know that Cologne will not willingly let me go. So it falls to you to decide my future involving your tribe. I will ask Perfume what she wants to do when she wakes up. If she chooses not to come, but you do help me in leaving then I will remain an ally to your people. However if she chooses to come with me and you try to stop me then I will become your enemy."

Having said that he allowed a bit of the power he used to make his death-guise to show giving his whole person an odd supernatural look. Which for some reason unbeknownst to Lotion left her more wary than she'd have thought possible. She took a deep breath before she continued.

"Very well Will I will help you in whatever ways I can. But remember your promise, because one day we may need to hold you to it."

Will nodded and smiled at Lotion warmly.

"Thank you I hope that I will be able to help whenever it is that you may need my help, Just remember I may seem quite powerful now but I still have a ways to go before I have reached my potential. (That being taking over both of his mantels from his bosses.)"

With that said and out of the way they began to plan exactly how they were going to get him, and possibly Perfume, out of the village without arousing too much suspicion from the Matriarch. It was a long while before either of them went to sleep, they spoke late into the night.

(TBC)

__

Teaser for Chapter 05:

Ranma runs into a bit more trouble in his remaining trek across China. While Lotion and our perilous hero enact their plan to get Will (and possibly Perfume) out of the village and to Tokyo. Also Death and Loki get a request from some of the Higher-ups to speak with Yume. What will happen? ....... Well I'm not sure it hasn't been written yet.

Yume


	6. The Reaper's Apprentice

For disclaimer see prologue.

{ …. } -thought speaking

[ …. ] -Weapon speak

****

Chapter 05

__

The Reaper's Apprentice

By: Master Yume

(Between Wuhan and Shanghai in the Chinese wilderness.)

Ranma sighed as he finished the last of the soup he (at this point though he was a she) and patted his temporarily sated stomach.

"Ah that hit the spot."

"Oh you're a girl I guess it isn't so bad then."

Ranma looked up at the strange man that he had swiped the soup from.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm a boy?"

The man looked at Ranma oddly then Ranma muttered Jusenkyo to which the man suddenly nodded.

"In that case I'm assuming you're a boy cursed to become a girl. Right?"

Ranma nodded wondering where the guy was going with this. He was surprised when the man braided his hair and tied a little piece of string in his hair. 

"What's this for?"

"It's a dragon's whisker it was the main ingredient in the soup you had. If you don't have that in your hair it will grow and grow until your hair grows out completely leaving you bald."

Ranma stared wide eyed at the man then felt the braid his hair was now in.

"So if the whisker comes undone then I'll go bald?"

The man nodded and Ranma shivered suddenly having a flash of himself looking like a taller thinner Genma without glasses.

'Oh Kami-sama the HORROR.'

The man nodded and turned and left Ranma-chan to his musings. (Or hers depending on how you look at it.) Before the whole event could begin to weigh too heavily on his mind his musings were interrupted as Genma ran past in human form and grabbed the somewhat stunned Ranma.

"Come on boy we have to hurry it seems we didn't loose her in that swamp back there."

Ranma didn't respond favoring trying to get the image of a bald him out of his mind.

Shampoo cursed as the fat bald man began to run off with her quarry. It was just her luck to find the girl without her surprisingly fast and agile panda escort, only to have it scooped away by some male. 

"Stupid lucky girl-type Ranma."

With that Shampoo gave chase to the fleeing pair.

---------

Perfume could hardly believe it she was selected to go on a mission into Japan and start a Amazon post in Tokyo. A place where in a few months her great-grandmother would join her and her husband. It was to be a place where some Amazons could go and find out about the outside world in an attempt to begin a subtle modernization of the tribe. While Cologne didn't like the idea she was forced to agree when all but 2 elders voted in favor of the idea. Especially seeing as it managed to retain this Will male in the 'control' of the tribe. At least that was what Cologne thought. Will smiled as he followed his 'wife' as soon as he and Typhous felt they were far enough away from the village and any possible watchers he would propose his method of transportation to Perfume. 

'Oh yes teleporting will be soo much easier than walking.'

Just as he thought this he tripped on a rock and fell to the ground kicking up a small cloud of dust. He grumbled as Perfume glanced back and snickered at him.

'Screw discrete I want to get the hell out of here.'

{I don't know Yume I might be wiser to…}

However Typhous's words of wisdom were interrupted by Siren's rather persuasive voice.

[Go for it Master Yume, you can do it.]

Will got the distinct feeling that Typhous was sweat-dropping mightily but ignored it in favor of democracy.

'Ok that's two votes for teleport now and one against. Majority rules we make the jump.'

Again before Typhous could voice his concerns about Will's power waning Will acted. Walking up to Perfume after getting up and grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey hon I have a much faster way to get to Tokyo."

"What's that husband?"

With out answering with the truth he began to channel the teleportation spell envisioning the Tendo Dojo. Then before he cast the spell he smirked at Perfume and caused them both to vanish while muttering.

"By magic my dear."

Soap had been discretely following Perfume and her husband hoping to tag along for the trip to Japan. Just the thought of all the manga she could read nearly sent her into convulsions of pleasure. However her ticket to the oodles of drawn goodness suddenly vanished in a flash of darkness and a puff of smoke. She walked to the place where she had seen the couple last only to find a bit of sparkling black dust that reminded her of Will's scythe and cloak. Quickly she packed the substance into a cloth pouch she had on her. After she was sure she had most of it she left and returned to the village. Maybe she could convince one of the elders to let her go with Lotion when she followed the pair to help settle the new Amazon post.

---------

Death sighed as he left the elevator. He really hated these meetings the only reason he still went was because he had agreed to. He was currently on his way to a meeting of the Underworld Council (at least that's what they called themselves.) He had out lasted many of the Reigns of the Underworld. Hel, Anubis, Ereshkigal, Hades, Midir, Okuni-Nushi, and Dis/Pluto. Even the lesser gods; Dumuzi, Mictlantecuhtli, Hunhau, and Mahiuki. Each having reigned for some amount of time in the Nether realm. Still throughout all of their reigns he had been there. Now though things in heaven were changing, there was democracy (although the Almighty's will was always final say) it kind of irked him, but still he let it pass. Now the Underworld was ruled by a governing body of three of its former rulers. These were picked by the Almighty they ruled for a while then the Almighty pick another three, sometimes a god who had been in the previous council was called to be on the next sometimes they were all fresh. He sighed again as he let himself slip into his death-guise. After he had made the brief transition he continued on his way to the Hall where they conducted business. He stood and looked at the heavy steel and stone doors that were ornately decorated. With a wave of his scythe said doors swung open the hinges that held them squealing in protest, then banging heavily against the wall. The action caused Hel, Hades, and Pluto to look up at him, ah the upstarts. Pluto nodded to him which he returned solemnly. Hel just glanced at him with her half face. All the while Hades was running his fingers through the flames that lit the top of his head looking like a facsimile of hair made from blue fire, he looked up at Death and smiled a pointy toothed grin.

"Why do you insist on looking like that Hades?"

Hades shrugged and smiled.

"Hey what can I say I like the portrayal those schlemiels at Disney made."

Death blinked and sighed as the three ruling gods of the nether realm gathered behind a big wooden desk. Death on the other hand remained standing leaning wearily against his scythe. Hel began speaking her strange empty, yet strong and full voice echoed off the chamber's walls.

"It has come to this council's attention that you have again chosen a new apprentice. It is also our understanding that you plan to pass on your title and responsibilities to this former mortal. Is this true?"

Death tried to resist the urge to sigh, he really did, but it came out anyways.

"This is indeed true, while he may not be the best person for the job." 'Far from it actually.' "He has been approved by the Almighty and has accepted the mantel, all that remains is his completion of the trial and my subsequent stepping down."

The three gods nodded then made an impromptu huddle. Discussing things with each other. He already knew what they were thinking, with him gone they would gain just a bit more power. They thought his apprentice to be stupid, which he could very well be, however they also thought him to be a pushover in terms of Power. Death knew that he would need to explain a few things to his apprentice before allowing council members to meet with him. After all it wouldn't do to have Yume fall so easily to these gods while Death himself (which was who Yume would become) was thought to be their lackey. The only reason that Death listened to them was that it lessened his paperwork. While he could very well ignore any order they gave him so far he hadn't. The only being that he had to answer to in reality was the Almighty himself. But his further musings were interrupted by the clearing of Hel's throat.

"It is the ruling of this council that we request to meet this person who is to be your heir."

Death nodded and turned his back on the council.

"I will discuss it with him and bring him when I can."

Before the council members could annoy him further he walked from the room. As he crossed the threshold of the chamber he waved his scythe causing the hinges to scream in mistreatment as the doors they held swung close with such force that the frame cracked and the doors themselves jammed. The silence that followed him down the hall to the elevator was almost deafening. However it was not meant to last. For not four step from the elevator Loki appeared before him with a rather self satisfied look on his face.

"What is it Loki?"

Loki leaned back onto the balls of his feet trying to take an almost cute stance. It was lost however as Death began to move past him having not received a response.

"Ok, ok you win. I have news about our apprentice."

"What about Yume?"

"He's not our apprentice any more."

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yep. I got myself my own heir. You could say he just fell into the position."

Death let out a sigh of relief though he would later deny it. He was really looking forward to the prospect of retirement that Yume would give him if he passed this trial.

"So that leaves Yume as only my heir then right?"

Loki nodded vigorously in such a way as to make death wonder just how he didn't get whiplash from doing that.

"Yep I got my heir training at boob… Er I mean Boot camp. He should be ready to enter the world Yume's in right about the time Yume gets settled into Tokyo."

Death looked at Loki with one of those level stares that only a skull could pull off. Under which the trickster crumbled like a mound of mashed peas.

"Well I was kind of hoping that your heir could put him up at his place for the duration of the trial. After all the Almighty gave him the same trail as Yume."

Death sighed as that feeling of everything blowing up in his face returned full bore. Somehow he just knew this would spell trouble, he wasn't sure for whom, but he was sure it spelled trouble.

"I'll talk to Yume about it but remember you'll owe him."

Loki nodded at his friend (at least he liked to think so) Daryl.

"How about this? I let him keep the power-up I gave him when he became my apprentice. That should level it a bit."

Death shrugged.

"I'll ask Yume about it."

So Loki disappeared in a flash of light much the way he came. With that Death walked into the elevator preferring that way to get where he was going as opposed to teleporting around, after all that could prove a problem if something went wrong. This fact was proven later that day as Death watched Loki run terror stricken from and enraged gaggle of goddesses, maybe he should apologize for tripping Loki like that before his teleport…. Nah.

---------

Soun Tendo sighed heavily as his thoughts returned once more to his former wife. Oh how he missed her she was what made him the man he once was. If only she hadn't fallen to the ravages of that disease like she had. As his thoughts continued in this way tears began streaming down his face. As he did this his eldest daughter Kasumi watched from the kitchen hoping that he didn't fall into one of his worse crying episodes it was always so hard to get the veneer back to its original quality. But luckily this was not the case today. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and two muffled thumps heard on the roof. One thump became many and soon a black robed figure rolled off of the edge of the roof and landed on the ground with a rather hard sounding thud.

"Oh my I hope that person's alright."

Soun only nodded in response to Kasumi. Then a green haired curved figure jumped down from the roof and landed beside the black covered lump. Said figure looked at the lump and prodded it with her foot.

"Ayah husband be more careful from now on." 

The lump twitched a bit as a rather disturbing looking scythe finished its slide down the roof and landed on the place where Kasumi figured the head was, if the crack was anything to go by. Suddenly realization dawned on Kasumi.

"Oh goodness guests I should make tea."

Soun merely blinked as his daughter walked back into the kitchen to fetch some tea. The green haired girl, as Soun could see now that he was actually paying attention (Spending as much time with Happosai as he had gave him a sort of sixth sense to these things, well that and her rather prominent assets.) Leaned down and hauled the black robed figure to its feet. The figure stood unsteadily for a bit then finally regained his ground and stood up straight dwarfing Soun's own rather tall height. 

"Where are we?"

The green haired girl merely whacked him in the back of the head in response and pointed to his scythe. The cloaked figure bent down and grabbed the afore mentioned scythe, as the figure came back up he pulled the hood back on his cloak. The black clothed figure turned out to be a rather tall sinister looking boy of about twenty years old. His hair was dirty and unruly, his face was abit bit dusty from the fall while his cloak remained free of dust looking just like a black midnight sky. The boys cold blue/yellow eye rested on Soun. The scowl on the boy's face was quickly replaced by a smile.

"Ahh so we're in the Nermia prefecture of Tokyo. Excellent."

The tall boy bowed a bit to Soun, as did his apparent wife.

"Good afternoon sir. I am Will and this is my wife Perfume. You must be Mr. Tendo if memory serves me correctly."

Soun looked perplexed.

"Memory my boy? I never recall meaning you."

"Well of course not I merely saw an aged picture, that an acquaintance of yours was carrying with them when we met."

"And who may I ask are you referring to?" 

"Why Genma Saotome, your old training partner, under Master.. Ha...." 

Will's words were shortly interrupted as Soun covered his mouth.

"You know Genma?"

"Well not real well but I know that he has a son named Ranma."

Soun nodded upon hearing this. It had been the first new he heard of either of the Saotome's since Genma had left on his training mission.

"Well any friend of Genma's is a friend of mine."

At this point Kasumi returned to the porch with a tray of cookies and some tea things. Slowly she took a seat beside her father as Will and Perfume sat across from them. 

"So how is my old friend? Well I hope."

Will glanced at his wife who was now chatting congenially with Kasumi about one thing or another. Quickly he turned his attention back to the patriarch of the Tendo clan.

"Well last I saw him was in China a few days ago. But he seemed well for the most part."

"That's good, do you know if he was planning to return to Japan soon?"

Will looked down in thought.

"Well if I had to hazard a guess I'd say he'd be here in anywhere from three days to two weeks. He did seem a bit preoccupied the last I saw him."

'Yeah preoccupied with saving his skin lousy flea bitten panda.'

"Ahh no doubt training his son in the art."

Will rolled his eyes and took a sip of the tea Kasumi had given him, and was mildly surprised when he tasted it. He never really thought himself a tea man he was really more of a Lipton iced tea mix, sort of guy. Soun watched the boy with a slightly raised eyebrow, this one seemed to be a bit odd. While he seemed to know what he was doing Soun just felt he seemed out of place, maybe he would look better in one of those Christian churches. His musing were interrupted as Will glanced at the sky and turned to his wife then said something to her in Chinese. His wife nodded and thanked Kasumi and chatted a bit more with her as she began to walk from the house to the outside. Will followed silently with Soun. After the reached the main gate proper goodbyes were given as well as a promise from Perfume to come by and visit the soft spoken Tendo homemaker. With it all said and done Will and his wife exited the Tendo home and almost immediately ran into Nabiki, and Akane. Nabiki spoke first glancing up at the strange black cloaked figure.

"Who are you?"

"I'm just a traveler with my wife. And while we were just about to leave I now believe that I have a bit of business to discuss with you Ms. Tendo."

Perfume glanced at her husband a bit oddly but stayed silent knowing that he was in his element. Although she would definitely have to 'discuss' with him later about his choice of transportation. Right now though she was beginning to feel some heavy chi activity coming from the dark haired girl standing beside the one Will was currently addressing.

'Lousy pervert hitting on my sister, he just better keep his hands to himself.'

Akane hadn't like the tall stranger since she had seen him stepping from her house. But still she felt it was best to wait till the pervert did something before attacking and unleashing her oh so righteous fury. Nabiki was however intrigued by the tall young man. He seemed to know her already and he had just met her. While the idea that he had received the information from her father it just didn't seem to stick. It was almost as if he knew her a little better than that and she was sure that she had never sneak the black robed stranger before.

"It seems that you have me at a disadvantage, you know who I am but I don't know who you are."

Will smiled at Nabiki if she was anything like she was portrayed (and she would be if Ranma, Genma, Cologne, and Shampoo were anything to go on) then she would be able to help him out… for a price. 

"Oh how dreadfully uncouth of me, my name is Will."

He then gestured to his wife who was glancing at Akane oddly.

"This is my lovely wife Perfume."

She nodded her acknowledgement at being addressed. Nabiki nodded as well.

"Well then Mr. Will what can I do for you?"

Will looked at Aknae nervously it seemed that his hard thought out greeting was a bit much for the pervert bashing little girl.

'Then again most people here compared to me are small.'

"I have need of your assistance and my sources tell me that you are the local go to person."

Nabiki looked at the man again and nodded for him to continue, it seemed that her reputation had preceded her. She caught the incline of Will's head in regards to her sister, it seemed that whatever business that he wished to discuss with her he wished to do so without an audience.

"Akane go inside I'll be in in a little while."

Akane's blossoming aura winked out and she regarded her sister with a start. 

"But Nabiki what will you do if this pervert tries something on you with his Chinese bimbo."

Perfume's own impressive aura exploded from her causing Will cloak to billow dramatically in an unseen wind. 

"What did you call me weak girl?"

Akane's own aura returned at full power. The two making little flashes of light as they touched each other. Will had opted to put on a pair of wrap around sunglasses while Nabiki just covered her eyes. Overall Will had to admit the whole effect was pretty cool. Both Akane and Perfume fell into hand-to-hand combat stances glaring mightily at each other. Will decided that just maybe he should put a stop to this.

"Ok girls that's enough I think…."

His words trailed off as he saw the simultaneous glares that the two female sent his way. Letting his strong sense of self-preservation kick in he took a step back.

"Never mind what I think just go about your business."

The girls did just that resuming their stances. Akane's stance was rigid and left a few holes that even Will could see. But then again the holes could be left there as a trap. However Perfume's stance was a paradox of sorts it looked like it was tight and at the same time loose. It was just plain confusing to will so he left it alone in favor of turning to Nabiki with a smirk.

"Would you like to place a little wager on this fight?"

"What kind of wager?"

"If Perfume wins you help us for half your usual price. If Akane wins we pay you double for them."

Nabiki knew that her sister was one of the better martial artists of Nermia, possibly the whole of Tokyo itself. However she didn't know if she was better than the green haired foreigner before her. Nabiki glanced at Will and saw a light sheen of sweat break over his brow as well as his body starting a bit was he looked to the fight. Suddenly he blurted out something.

"On second thought how about only 50% in addition to your usual rate. And maybe a favor."

If Nabiki was reading her companion correctly he was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole fight. He did seem a bit more bit then an average guy so perhaps he was a fighter and could see something she couldn't. Weighing the pros and cons of the situation in her mind she quickly came to a decision.

"Ok if Perfume wins I'll help you for 50% my normal rate, but if Akane wins you pay me an additional 50% and owe me a favor."

Yume nodded and shook her hand quickly then suddenly looked very sure of himself. This made Nabiki have a slight sinking feeling in her gut that was just screaming at her that she had just been played, like Mozart would do to a piano.

'Heh and everyone thought that playing an oversized mobster in the school play would do nothing for my talent. Well who's laughing now? Huh? HUH?'

Akane looked at her opponent and waited it seemed that the girl was content to let Akane come. Being one not to disappoint Akane did just that. With a loud scream Akane charged the green haired Amazon. Perfume remained where she was not moving a muscle then when Akane was fully committed to the attack she struck. Her hand shot out and grabbed the front of Akane's shirt and lifted using Akane's own momentum to her advantage as she propelled the Anything Goes heir towards athe wall that surrounded her family's property. While the throw disoriented her she was able to regain herself and managed to dampen her impact against the wall lessening any damage to herself, the wall wasn't a lucky and showed it in the form of a few spider cracks. Perfume didn't give Akane much time to rcover as she rushed after the rattled Tendo. Starting with a sweep using her left leg she quickly followed it up with a rather savage uppercut. Akane managed to jump over the leg sweep but was ill prepared for the powerful follow up strike, however she did manage to get a rather tight grip onto Perfume's arm and lessened the blow again. 

'Wow Akane seems to be doing pretty good, but still I think Perfume will pull it out she has a much higher endurance than Akane.'

And he was right because right now Akane was beginning to feel the strain. While she could go on for a good while still she could tell that Perfume wasn't even winded. Quickly she move to put a decent amount of space between her and her green haired opponent. But Perfume proved to be faster and was quickly closing the distance. With a silent cry Perfume launched into a flying kick that Akane managed to roll under. But Perfume just pulled back one leg and used both of her rather shapely legs to propel herself off a nearby telephone pole. And in a move very reminiscent of Ranma's Shooting Star Kick, Perfume managed to tag Akane in the shoulder from behind spinning the now disoriented girl around like a cheap top. (Basically that means that it you ever have used a poor quality top, you know how it spins a bit then wobbles and falls.) Try as she might Akane couldn't regain her bearings the world seemed to blur in and out of focus causing her stomach to lurch in a most uncomfortable way. Perfume was quickly upon the discombobulated Tendo girl and held her arms behind her back in just such a way that if she applied pressure it would hurt a lot, and if she applied a great deal of pressure her arms could very well become dislocated. 

"Does little mouthy girl yield?"

Akane grunted and struggled to try and break the hold but it was for not, Perfume's grasp remained strong then she applied a bit of pressure and Akane had to fight from crying out in pain. Slowly her head lowered and then in a very quiet all to hollow voice she spoke.

"I y.. yield."

Perfume seemed to teleport back to her husband's side. After she released Akane. Said Tendo was rubbing her now sore shoulders as she looked at the green haired Amazon. Then suddenly she smiled.

"You're pretty good Perfume. I'm glad you're a girl I'd have hated to lose to a boy."

Will looked decidedly uncomfortable as he glanced between Perfume and Akane. While Akane had felt it was a good fight Will could tell that Perfume had held back A whole lot since she hadn't used her Naginita. Perfume's demeanor wasn't quiet as sunny as Akane's and she stared flatly at the back of her fallen foe who was now walking into the house.

"Now then Ms. Tendo I believe that we had an agreement."

Nabiki blinked at the rather casual attitude that Will seemed to regard the fight that had just occurred. It was rather astonishing to see how well the green haired girl had done against Akane. She also saw that while the outer wall of her home had cracks in it the overall structure was intact.

"Perhaps it would be best Ms. Tendo if we moved to someplace more comfortable, say the ice-cream shop? My treat."

Nabiki's suggestion of going to her room died on her lips. Free ice cream always softened to blow her wallet took when she lost a bet.

"Ok Mr….. I didn't catch your last name."

"Let's deal with that another time from now just call me Will."

"Ok very well Will if you would just follow me I know of a nice place just a few blocks from here."

Will nodded then turned to his wife once Nabiki was out of even her considerable ear-shot. Perfume looked very peeved. 

"I wish you wouldn't speak Japanese around me you know it's not my better language."

"I know dear but this girl will be able to help us get a place set up all that much sooner if we just stay on her good side."

Perfume looked at him crossly making Will feel the incredible urge to flee.

"Very well my husband, but if she tries to I insult me or any Amazons I will not be responsible for my actions."

Will nodded then quickly he and her caught up to Nabiki who was unaware that they hadn't been following her this whole time. Before they knew it the were walking into the establishment. Will garnered quite a few glances, not only because of the Amazon that walked so close to him, or his rather impressive height, but mostly due to the long menacing looking scythe he held. Very calmly they all placed their orders (though Will blanched at the size of the sundae Nabiki ordered.) then sat down to get down to business.

"So what would you like my help with?"

Will smiled and reached into Perfume's pack getting no more than a glance from the girl who was trying to fight off a rather vicious brain-freeze. He pulled out a cloth bag and held it in his hand.

"What I need is for you to 'assist' me and my wife in buying an estate of sorts. It's needs to have plenty of land as well as a practice hall that is a good deal larger than your own."

Nabiki nodded as she began doing some of the mental calculations. Then she motioned for him to continue.

"Also the house itself has to have at least twelve good sized rooms, and a large kitchen/common area."

Before Will could continue Typhous interrupted his train of thought.

{We need a big basement preferable of bomb shelter quality.}

Nabiki watched as Will attention suddenly became directed inwardly, only to return moments later.

"Also it will need an extensive basement preferable something built as a bomb shelter."

Nabiki's mind was going over some of the real estate that she knew to be on the market. While she didn't focus greatly on the real estate business, she did keep an eye on it for occasions like this. After all it wasn't everyday that a seemingly wealthy young couple moved into the neighborhood.

"You do of course know Mr. Will it will not be cheap."

Will blinked and nodded.

"Oh of course, but please call me Will. I fully understand that a place like I just described would indeed take a bit of negotiating and work to get, not to mention monetary supplementation."

Nabiki blinked at Will as did Perfume he didn't exactly come across as a person that could think so much. While Nabiki had her doubts about his calm though a bit dim exterior Perfume was floored at seeing just how in his element Will was at this point. Shrugging it off as one of his peculiar quirks she returned to the delectable concoction before her.

"But the real question is Ms. Tendo, do you know of anything that could help us?"

Nabiki's mind suddenly alit upon something she had seen on one of her few visits to the Kuno estate. She had accidentally become lost looking for it and she had found herself before a huge estate situated on a hill. The building itself was impressive while the perimeter around it was even more so. The grounds could have easily fit several houses of that size. Excusing herself for a moment she walked outside (leaving her ice cream defenseless to Perfume's onslaught) and dialed up a friend of hers. 

"Miko? Yes it's me. Oh I'm fine. Listen You know that estate on Sakura Trail? Yeah that's the one. How much is it going for? Really? That low? Oh the government acquisitioned it huh? ….. Yes ….. Yes. Well I ask because I have a potential client for you. Yes he's interested in the house. I think he'll cover it. Ok just let me handle the paperwork." 'It will give me a few extra dollars.' "What's that how soon till he can pay?"

"Depends on how much it is."

The sound of Will's voice so close to her free ear made Nabiki squeal like a little girl (which she was for all legal purposes) and jump to an impressive height. When she managed to calm down she spun around at the grinning Will and his snickering wife.

"Well how much?"

"It's on the market for thirty point four million yen. Plus all the fees and such you'll probably be looking at forty million yen."

Will nodded while Perfume looked a bit pale. She wasn't a money expert but she knew that forty million whatever was a lot. Unfortunately she was unaware of the current rate of exchange. 

"Does that include your fee Ms. Tendo?"

Nabiki smirked a bit. 

"Maybe." 

"Hmm I see well then."

With nothing further (seeing as Will recognized that tone and attitude.) Will dropped a cloth sack into Nabiki's hand. 

"I'll expect the paperwork and everything to be done by next week. Don't worry, I will find you."

Will then began walking down the street with Perfume walking right beside him speaking in angry Mandarin if Nabiki's guess was right. Miko's voice brought her thoughts back to the present just as the couple turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

"Huh? Oh yes I'm still here yeah you have a sale. Uh huh no problem."

As she spoke to Miko Nabiki undid the tie around the sack and peered inside at its contents. Almost faster than the normal eye could see she retied the sack and hid it in her book bag.

"Miko listen up this guy means business he wants everything ready for him by next week I'm coming over, I'll need you to get the papers drawn up. Also I'll need to use the conference phone. Uh huh, yes I'm sure he can pay."

Quickly Nabiki walked down the street being a bit more aware of her surroundings as she did. 

'I'd better be real careful not telling what could happen if someone found this much on me.'

She quickly entered a large office building thoughts of little jewels and gold coins dancing in her head. As an afterthought she called a few of her lackeys and told them to keep an eye on this Will character.

---------

Will walked purposely; it had been a stroke of his rather limited genius to garner the help of the Tendo girl. He had not only gotten the place cheap but for a lot less then he had thought, hell almost half. His bright musing on his situation suddenly screamed to a halt as he was confronted with a rather frightening image of his wife glaring at him. 

"How could you? The Matriarch gave us that money for the whole setup not just the home. Now you've spent it all."

Will looked around nervously as he felt the telltale displacement of air that accompanied her drawing her naginita. 

"Now calm down dear I didn't even spend a third of the money that Cologne gave us."

Perfume slowly replaced her naginita and gave her husband the once over. Whatever it was that he was going to say next would make the difference between a severe beating, a beating, and no beating. So not trusting his mouth with the job he reached into the recesses of his cloak and pulled out a handful of jewels and gold coins. Quickly he put it back into his robe, earning an appraising stare from his wife.

"So you know the Hidden Weapons technique like that Mousse guy?"

"No I know magic."

"Oh. So now what?"

Will thought about that for a moment before he responded. 

"Now we find a place to stay till next week, then we find Nabiki and move to the new compound." 

Perfume nodded at the rather blunt logic, which reminded her as to another point of annoyance for her. 

"You've been acting awfully mature lately. Why is that?"

"Well I wanted to make sure I got us a good deal and didn't get tricked by the Tendo girl."

Perfume nodded at this monumental display of her husband's limited intelligence. She followed this by moving close to his ear and whispering a few choice words. The effects of said words on Will was almost immediate, his hood suddenly flip up and covered his head. Perfume was rather surprised by this seeing as she knew his hands hadn't moved, while her own had not done so as well. (I'll let you all just think about why she knew that his hands were busy when the hood flipped up.) With a speed born of someone with a great purpose in mind Will scooped up Perfume and dashed away from the scene.

---------

Late in the afternoon the following week found a bleary eyed Nabiki facing an equally bleary eyed Will (staying outside for a week would do that to a person) in front of the office building, Nabiki had just finished the day before. She had been working most of the night to get this done and was proud that she had done so. (She had called her family earlier in the week to tell them that she was going to have a sleep over at a friends house, Akane was the most vocal with her thinking it had something to do with that Will guy. In order to cover herself so she could work though the week with her political contacts to finish by the deadline.) While she did have to call a few of her favors it had been worth it for the pay she had received. Nabiki handed Will a rather thick envelope to which Will accepted and smiled as he looked it over.

"You did rather well, it would seem that my trust in your abilities was not misplaced."

Will motioned to Perfume who moved up beside him.

"Well Ms. Tendo I will be seeing you later."

With that the tall foreigner and his Amazonian bride walked away and disappeared around a corner. Nabiki sighed and began her trek home with a small bounce in her step

It wasn't everyday that you made enough to keep your family living comfortably for the next six months. Unfortunately for Nabiki's state of mind she was unaware of the chaos that was soon approaching her home. One might almost feel sorry for Nabiki if they didn't know her real well. Oh it seemed that Nermia had some definite interesting times ahead. At that moment many of the citizens felt a chill run up their spines, and suddenly had the almost undeniable urge to pack up and move. But most just ignored this and went about their lives.

(TBC)


	7. Side Story: The Heir of the Trickster

**__**

Strange Occurrences: 

A Side Story

__

The Heir of the Trickster

By: Master Yume & BlindManX

__

Loki sat down and watched as his new apprentice began on his rather short journey to Japan. But something about the whole situation just irked him. One relatively normal mortal having the chance to inherit to powerful mantels it just didn't work in his favor, after all the boy seemed to favor Death just a bit.

'But what can I do about it the Almighty already agreed to it and he said that if I couldn't come up with a new heir in two days then the ruling stuck.'

Loki sighed what was the likelihood of something like that happening? Nearly impossible, it would take an act of the Almighty himself to…

"Uh, excuse me. Uh sorry to bother you but where in Jamaica is this?"

Loki looked up and saw a stocky black kid holding a map and scratching his head, all the while looking utterly confused. Loki blinked confusedly for a moment and stared at the intruder before looking to the heavens…. Well up, and mouthed the words 'Thank you'.

Michael watched as the slightly taller man stood up from his chair and approached him with an evil grin. Slowly Michael began to look around for an exit after finding none he sighed.

"I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque.

"How would you like a job?"

Loki smiled slyly as he watched the boy. However Michael merely raised an eyebrow and waved his hands defensively in front of him.

"Hey man I don't walk that way."

At that moment Michael sincerely wished he had something to smack this weird guy in the face with. However Loki just shook his head.

"No, no, not like that. I'm serious, do you want a job?"

Loki again eyed the boy critically.

'Hmm he needs a bit of work but he'll do for now.'

Michael put up his hand forestalling any further comments from Loki.

"Hold on, before we get into that I want to know where we are. The last thing I remember is getting this map from some guy who called himself the Alrighty. The next thing I know I'm here. Who are you anyways?"

Loki bowed a bit and smiled oddly making Michael look around hoping to see a new exit.

"I'm Loki Norse god of mischief. I want you to work for me. If you do I'll let you have all kinds of perks."

Loki watched the boy think about this as he pondered whether the Alrighty had his eye on this one. Well it didn't matter he was just going to snag him first.

"Ok, I'll bite, what kind of benefits does the job offer?"

Michael wasn't really worried about Loki's response he was more concerned with getting the baseball bat he had in his hand ready. (Though he really hadn't thought about where he had gotten it.) Humoring the nut was just a way to keep him talking.

"Well you'll get a rune sword and a few other things like magical skills and stuff like that."

Loki raised an eyebrow as this Michael kid tightened his grip on the bat that had materialized out of thin air.

"What's a rune sword?"

Michael again half listened to the response as he slowly made his way to the door he saw in the far corner of the room.

"I really have no idea, I know they are powerful and I'm getting tired of no one wanting the one I have. Look I'll let you have other abilities just name them, I'll see if I can bring us to an agreement."

Loki watched disinterestedly as the boy edged towards the door, he knew where it led. Suddenly Michael made a mad dash, and in his mind, to the freedom of said door, causing Loki to merely raise and eyebrow. Michael slammed the door shut and leaned heavily against it hoping to keep the nut job out. Then he heard a rather familiar voice speak.

"What took you so long?"

Michael looked up and stared for a bit as his mind tried to register the fact that he had just left through a door only to end up at the same door still facing Loki. Finally his brain re-booted Michael's response was quick. He fumbled with the knob and hurriedly threw the door open and bolted back through only to find Loki in the same spot that Michael had left him in..

"Ah crap."

Loki smirked at the rather shell-shocked looking lad.

"Now then, are you ready to negotiate, or will we play ring around the roses a bit more?"

Michael sighed and he held the bat at ready and slowly approached the desk.

"Alright fine but no funny business bud."

Loki replied by making the 'scout's honor' sign. Michael just thought out loud to himself as he sat at the desk.

"I knew I hated the Twilight Zone this just proves it."

Loki slowly took a seat across from Michael and sighed.

"Look kid, long story short; I need an heir. When you just waltzed right on in here you moved yourself to the top of my list of candidates. So I'll give you a rune sword, a basic chaos magic package, and some other minor prank related magic. So what do you say?"

Michael considered the offer that Loki set before him. While he didn't like this whole situation, seeing as he was now in said situation the best thing for him to do was to milk the nut for anything he could get.

"Well that's all well and good for starters. But what about benefits? Do I get a health plan? Dental?"

"Ok FINE, how about this; near indestructibility and regeneration, does that work for you?"

Michael nodded finally having convinced himself that this was a dream. A really screwed up dream, but a dream nevertheless.

"Sounds good so far Loki, but what does the jobs involve?"

Loki stood and took a dramatic pose, as a light lit the background behind him adding to the effect of said pose.

"It will be your job to make sure that mischief is spread throughout the Multi-verse. Doing this will ensure that certain events occur and help dimensions move on. Tjis all hinges of course on you passing a test."

'Ooh real nice make it sound important.'

Loki silently congratulated himself still holding his pose, until the boy across from him spoke up.

"So basically after I pass a test, it will be my job to go around and give people wedgies."

Loki suddenly deflated as the light behind him shorted out.

"Well that too, all jokes and mischief fall under my domain."

Michael nodded having seen though Loki like a cheap piece of plastic.

"Well then if I'm going to agree to this I'll need Martial Arts skills and experience. It would do to have my ass beat every five minutes if something went wrong." (Read as: If I couldn't make my getaway.)

Loki pushed a contract towards him that seemed fairly self explanatory. After all it only said 'I agree.' Michael stopped himself and asked a question that seemed to be itching his brain for a while now.

"One question though, were you the guy that gave Genma that Cat-Fist manual?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Initially it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, but in the end it all worked out. Heck I even get that Ranma kid and that Akane girl together to make up for it."

'That explains it, only an idiot would give something like that to Genma. As well as think that something like that could work out."

"So you helped come up with some of the joke from that anime huh? That must have taken a while to think up."

Michael was beginning to like this dream a bit more, after all if this guy had something to do with anime he couldn't be all bad. Loki just blinked for a little while till finally recognition flashed across his face.

"Oh your from one of those base earths huh? Look I'm getting of tired of all this and time is running out, do we have a deal or not?"

Loki shrugged as he pondered the origins of his new heir. People from the base earths when transferred to these other realms had a tendency to become real powerful real fast. Usually they didn't cause too much damage while they adjusted. Though there was that one time…. Never mind that now.

"Alright throw in a helpful mascot/assistant and you have got yourself a deal."

'At least till a promotion comes up.'

Michael looked over the contract before him again, even going so far as to examine it under a microscope that was on hand. (though it hadn't been a few minutes before.) With that Michael signed and watched as his name flashed then the paper disappeared. Before he could make a reaction to the disappearing paper the pen in his hand exploded with a loud 'Bang!' Loki however just smiled broadly.

'Excellent all goes according to plan. Soon the cheese will be….'

"Er… Fine whatever here's your gear and weapon… I mean weapons."

So saying Loki handed Michael a black shirt and pants that suddenly blurred and appeared on his body fitting rather snuggly. Then a trench coat was added to the ensemble with a lot of straps and buckles that locked into place. Loki the handed him a long sword in a red leather sheath that vanished mysteriously as soon as Michael took of it. Loki followed that with a set of matching glocks.

"Huh what's with the sword and the guns?"

He was mildly puzzled at why he was getting these things as well as how he came to be dressed in these new clothes. At the mention of the sword, it reappeared in his hand and glowed for a brief moment. It wasn't exactly a big sword. It was a bit odd and had a rather well crafted ornate handle. The blade however was really interesting. The very air around it seemed to bend and fold making the sword look smaller than it really was. Then he tried to will the sword away the willed it back. Finally he moved his attention onto the guns.

"All right, now I can shoot people. Laugh at me will they? Heh, heh, heh."

Loki looked absolutely appalled at the very idea of someone getting shot.

"Easy there big fella, the only thing those guns shoot are blanks, shock, and plastic bullets. I can't have you going around killing people it would ruin my reputation it you shot someone on purpose."

Michael puzzled over that for a bit before raising an eyebrow at Loki.

"Just let me see if I have this straight. If someone slips on a banana peel cracks their neck and dies, you have no problem."

Loki nodded wondering where the kid was taking this.

"But if someone get shot and dies you have a problem with that?"

Again Loki nodded earning an incredulous look from Michael.

"Look the banana peel thing is a classic. I don't mind that because it's just a cause, the effect I have no control over."

Michael got an idea.

"So if I shot at someone with a funny intention and it happened to him them and they died it would be ok right?"

Loki vehemently shook his head.

"No, no that's completely different."

"How so?"

Loki's eyes bulged a bit as the gears in his head began to spin faster than ever before till one lug-nut and the whole works was shot to hell.

"Uh…. Er…. That is…. It just is so there."

Michael blinked at the logic of the answer and decided not to try and argue it.

"Mean so they end up dead so what, but guns are just mean. After all making someone laugh to death is an effect of the joke, but firing a bullet from a gun just isn't funny."

Suddenly Loki's face took on an evil gleam, and Michael felt decidedly nervous.

"Now then, if you want something funny, it's time for your training to begin. I'm going to make you laugh till you cry."

With that Loki began to laugh in a sickening manner never meant for mortal ears.

"BWA HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA."

Michael watched the nut for a moment then began to back away trying to put a bit of distance between himself and the mental ward reject.

"Um How come you sound like the Joker when you do that?"

Loki stopped for a moment and regarded his heir.

"It's a gift."

Before Michael could put any significant distance between him and Loki the room went dark. Then in the total darkness, Loki's disembodied voice echoed from all around.

"And now it's time for your pain..... er..... training to begin."

Michael suddenly felt the urge to scream, but tried to resist it. He felt that if he did he would lose whatever it was that let this stay within the realm of being a dream, at least according to his mind. But then again, to hell with dignity.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh .......... mommy."

---------

(About one-hundred and fifty weeks later in Loki Time, or a week for the rest of us.)

In the basement of a mine in the lowest depths of one of the more disturbing places on earth..... or France whichever was closer. Michael, newly appointed heir to one of the more prominent tricksters in the history of man-kind, awoke in a daze of mirth and merriment. At last it came to him he had finally figured out one of the biggest mysteries life had to offer, and all it took was three years of torture to do so. Getting Zen in a bottle was never like this. The answer to it all was so simple. Life was just one big joke which you finally got when you died. It was so simple any moron could come up with it, then again maybe that's why no one did. It was just so simple, but at last he got it. The feeling he got from gaining said understanding was so liberating that he could almost burst out into laughter..... In fact. Why not?

"BWA HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA. Just wait till the world gets a load of me. I think they just might die of laughter."

---------

(Meanwhile back in Loki's office.)

"Huh the boy's done. And it only took a week to re-make him into my image.... I must be slipping. Oh well old age catches up with everyone eventually I guess."

Loki leaned back in his chair and took a sip from a mysterious looking black bottle and began to ponder on his next problem, The kid's mascot thingy.

'Now the only thing is I have to give him that mascot thing. Maybe a skunk.... No I don't like the smell of that one.' (Somewhere in the distance a god of puns was struck by the Almighty.)

Loki looked at the screen that showed his apprentice's progression through the training. Right now Michael was chained to the tickling tree. Despite himself he had to begrudge the kid some respect for lasting this long. By now most people would have dropped dead with a sickening grin plastered on their faces. This kid was something else, the last time Loki had seen this kind of potential, the person had worn purple pants, and had a tendency to use laughing gas filled flowers.

'Hmm.... I wonder whatever happened to him.'

Somewhere on another plane of reality, a pale faced man sneezed.

"Harley could you hand me a hanky?"

Just then Loki had an idea, a terrible wonderful awful idea. Somewhere Skuld sneezed violently also having a terribly wonderful awful idea.

"A nine-tailed fox.... yes that would be absolutely perfect for him"

Loki's grin merely spread even further across his face. He watched as his heir walked into his office. The boy wasn't as big as he was before and if he was seeing correctly the boy looked like a slim tan version of the Ryu guy from that Street Fighter game. With his now spiky and stiff hair the kid looked like the perfect clown. By the end of Michael's training Loki had invested a lot of his time (about a week mortal time) and effort just to get the boy to finally see the boys potential coming to fruition. Now standing before Loki was a person he could relate to a person whose mind was well on its way to becoming like his own. It made him feel kind of proud, like a dad…. Almost. Michael still seemed to retain a moral code of sorts so he would only go for the low jokes.

'But just give the boy time that will be fixed soon enough.'

Coming out of his mental reflection Loki looked to the boy only to see that he wasn't in front of him any more. Suddenly he realized that Michael was behind him, but it was too late. Then Michael grabbed the waistband of Loki's briefs and pulled on them hard pulling the elastic almost over his head.

"Super-wedgie!"

As Loki reached behind him and tried to alleviate the new pain Michael struck him in the face with a pie.

"Pie to the face!"

The force of the pie pushed Loki back a bit as he moved his leg to attempt to regain his balance only to have him slip on some of the cream from the pie making him fall to the ground. As he looked up at Michael he realized one thing…. The student…. Had become the master. Loki's proud smile only increased a he watched Michael begin to chuckle that soon progressed into full blown wild laughter at a pitch so high that it could shatter glass.

"Heh heh HEH HEH HAHAHAHAHA BWA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Slowly Loki got to his feet, and brushed the dust from his person

"Well Michael it seems that you are ready fro your test to begin. Go now and make poppa proud."

Having said that Michael suddenly found himself plummeting threw the air towards some mist shrouded springs. Frantically he tried to shift his body to veer away from the springs below. But the spring grew closer and he wasn't moving away so he did the only thing that his racing mind could grasp at that point. Shoving his hands forward he did something that only someone who had spent enough time with Loki could/would do.

"DisSPELL!"

Suddenly with the direction of his fall interrupted he managed to change his course away from the cursed springs below….. And into a small wooden hut that was slowly being rebuilt.

"Oh Shi-"

The guide of the Cursed Training Grounds of Jusenkyo was knocked back by a shockwave the was caused by something falling from the sky and into his home. As he looked down into the hole in the ground that had been his home he suddenly heard a sickening laugh that chilled his bones to their very core. Then a figure rose from the rubble and set the guide skittering away from what he saw and felt. The man seemed to be of mixed descent dressed in black. He stood from the rubble and raised a defying fist to the heavens.

"Is that all you got you clown? I've gotten worse hits from you when you've sneezed."

At that a duffel bag fell from the heavens and smacked him in the face. Michael lied there a bit dazed and the stood back up and climbed out of the hole for the second time in less than a minute. Before he could come up with a witty retort for the Trickster god he heard the whip off wind that indicated something falling. Then there was a thunderous splash from one of the nearby pools. He looked over at the now frothing pool and slowly approached the water's edge beside the guide. 

"Who spring is that?"

The guide looked at the newcomer strangely the began into his normal explanation.

"Ah sir that spring of drowned-"

Before the guide could finish the answer arose from the spring. It was a bouncy, beautiful, bedazzling, breathtaking, blonde, bronzed bombshell of a babe that stood before the two men. The only reason Michael could tell she was blonde was not due to her head. In fact the hair on her head was a mix of color streaks, seven of them in all, from white to black, with red and green put into the mix. It was what the girl said next that changed every bad thought he had about Loki into something warm, pink, light and fluffy. She girl looked at the two men before her and in a low voice that was barely audible she asked.

"Which one of you is Michael?"

Michael blinked a few times then turned his eyes up towards the heavens, as his brain began to exhibit signs of severe brain freeze.

"Loki, this is SO not funny."


	8. If One Was Bad Two is Worse

For disclaimer see prologue.

{ ... } - thought speaking

[ ... ] - Weapon speak 

****

Chapter 06

__

If One Was Bad two is Worse

By: Master Yume & Blind Man X

Will turned the key in the old lock slowly. Perfume curiously examined the walls surrounding the compound, for structural integrity. The heavy wood and iron doors swung open slowly on the heavily rusted hinges.

"The walls are well made, good stone composite."

Will nodded and finished pushing the doors open and was greeted by a rather poorly kept yard. Perfume blinked in a slightly confused manner as Will dawned a safari hat and swung his scythe from his back. With a loud 'HA!' he swung and began to hack his way towards the house. Perfume just shrugged and followed her rather eccentric husband as he moved towards the house. Finally the large three-story building came into view. The very sight of the old building sent a small shiver down her spine. The house had an unearthly presence; the windows that were placed in odd places along the structure were poorly boarded up. But they were still boarded well enough to keep the windows intact. The building was a slate grayish color and loomed over her making her feel like a she was a mere child again, staring from her village up over the fog of Jusenkyo to the peak of Phoenix Mountain. When she looked back to Will, he was standing in the front door of the house and she had a flash of insight at seeing her sinister looking husband against the back drop of the evil house.

'My goddess he looks right at home. Like he belonged there.'

Shaking her head to clear her mind of the disturbing image she walked to the door just as Will swung it open. Bowing slightly Will gesture her inside she nodded and stepped into the building followed by Will. Looking around both were rather surprised to see a great deal of furniture. Most of said furniture was covered in aged white sheets. (At least Will thought they were white at one point.) It was obvious that the house had rather wealthy owners before the Amazons just from the shear amount of seemingly useless furniture. Will was most certainly out of his league and he felt that Perfume wasn't much better off. His repertoire of furniture consisted of the following: Couch, chair, table, bed, and stuff. Most of the shapes he could make out fell into the 'stuff' category in his mind. They moved into the interior of the house letting the door close behind them casting much of the room back into darkness. The few slivers of light that the poorly placed boards on the windows let in were just enough that Will and Perfume could manage without Will enacting the light spell on his scythe. Moving himself to what looked like a table Will laid out some of the papers Nabiki had given him. He began to look them over grazing for important information. Soon what he had been looking for was revealed to him. 

'**Circuit Breaker and Main Power: Southeast Corner of basement.**'

With nothing further to consult the papers about for the present time Will left the main room (at least he guessed it was) and headed towards the basement letting Perfume to her own devices. He fount the entrance to the basement easily enough (it was right under the staircase.) Getting ready to cast the light spell on his scythe again he was surprised when the blade lit itself.

'What's up with this Siren?'

[Master no need to worry about light Siren know the spell.]

{You do? How?}

[Master Yume teach it to Siren.]

'I did?'

[Yes when we first meet.]

{Hmm.}

'Hmm? What 'Hmm'?'

{Well if I figure this right, mind you it's only a theory. But Siren can absorb spells used on her and be able to recast them for an indeterminate length of time.}

'..... Uh..… Come again?'

[Yeah.]

{*Sigh* Ok when the blade has a spell used on it of channeled through it, Siren retains the memory of the spell's workings and is able to recast the spell for a certain amount of time that I'm not sure of yet.}

'Oh. So I basically taught her the lighting spell then.'

{Yes.}

'Ok just saves me time I guess.'

With that he began his descent into the bowels of the house. The blade cast its blue-green glow over the room giving it a surreal effect. As he reached the bottom of the surprisingly large stairwell and moved his scythe around to get an idea of the room he was in, he was rather surprised to see a hulking mass of black metal with a light layer of soot on certain parts of it. It was an old style wood-burning furnace for larger scaled houses much like the one his grandmother had. Navigating around the metallic beast he made his way towards what he guessed was the center of the room. Then with a quick bit of mental prodding from him Siren increased the light's intensity and he easily found the circuit box.

'Well I see the problem here.'

{Oh?}

'Oh yeah, you see this here switch? It needs to be in the 'ON' position. Yep.'

[Oh Master Yume you're so smart.]

Will stood and pulled his pants up in a very plumber-esque manner and sucked a bit of air through his teeth. Then he reached down and flipped the switch. With a loud 'pop' and a quick whiff of ozone the power flowed. Looking next to the circuit box he found a light switch and flipped it on. Then electricity based light flooded throughout the room in unparalleled glory. Now he was able to get a much better idea of the size of the basement. The ceilings were astounding they had to be at least nine feet high, while the room itself was quite spacious despite the large bulky furnace. It seemed that the basement extended even beyond the house in some places, but then again he could be mistaken, after-all he hadn't explored the whole place yet.

{Yes, this will do nicely.}

'Huh what will do nice?'

{This room is an excellent place to store the things you got from my place. It's position and lack of entrances allow it to be better fortified with fewer spells.}

'Fortified? You talk as if you're expecting someone to attack here.'

{It's a slight possibility. But for now let's go back and finish exploring this house we can make this room more suitable later.}

'Oh yes, some nice drapes, a chair, maybe an ottoman or two. Oh and some mahogany wood shelves, to give it that upper middle class feel. Then we can splash some pink and green paint on the walls to give it that kooky feel. It will be just fabulous when its done.'

[Huh?]

{Come again?}

Will shakes his head violently and leans against the wall to stabilize himself.

'Whoa I just had a HGTV moment. Eww I feel so dirty.'

He vehemently scrubs at the invisible dirt he felt was marring his skin.

{Uh ok, I won't ask.}

'Good cause I won't tell... And before you even ask I won't tell you either Siren.'

Will could feel Siren pout slightly at his comment. But Will just ignored it and began to move back up the stairs.

(Meanwhile upstairs)

Perfume looked around the room and decided to just look around and see where her feet led her. Very soon she found herself in a rather expansive kitchen. Now as she looked at said kitchen one must remember that while she has knowledge of the world outside her village she may not have practical knowledge. (Meaning she may know of them but more than likely not how they are used or work.) She gazed at the four metal boxes in the room with a critical eye. She knew that they were probably stoves and 'refrigerators,' using her limited knowledge of each devices applications in the kitchen she figured the two smaller ones were stoves while the two larger ones were more than likely 'fridges'. She jumped away from them, as there was a rather loud snap noise then the lights in the room became a great deal brighter. She looked around as the room was filled with a soft light from light mounts on the walls. The doorway to the right of the one she had entered the kitchen through had a different look to the light that was pouring forth from it. As she looked through the door she was awed at the rather ornate crystal chandelier, that glowed warmly over a rather long covered (what she guessed) table around the covered table were the chairs for said table. She moved closer to the table and gazed up at the ornate light that hung above it. At this she saw that a replica sat at the other end of the table casting the same warm light.

'These are really very beautiful.'

However before she could muse further a cold heavy hand gripped her shoulder tightly. Rather than 'eep,' or scream she gripped the hand in her own powerful grip and used her impressive upper body strength and tossed the perpetrator across the room into the opposite wall. She looked over and blinked as she began to recognize the shape now stuck upside-down into the wall of the dining room. Will blinked or at least tried to, which proved near impossible from his current vantage point. His little idea of giving Perfume a fright had apparently backfired and got him stuck into the wall rather firmly. He was relieved when he felt the telltale tug of someone gripping onto his robes then he was retched from the wall only to land on his (thankfully) hard head. He blinked a bit to clear his eyes of the drywall that was there, and then looked up at his rather sheepish looking wife.

"Sorry I thought you were an intruder."

Will slowly stood up and shook his head then smiled warmly at his wife. It seemed that even this (apparently) battle hardened Amazon still had a soft spot, at least for him.

"No worries hun you know me I got a head of steel. At least I have one now."

With that he gave her a peck on the cheek and began to leave the room only to be stopped by he foot stepping on his cloak.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going outside to hazard the jungle-like yard and try to get those boards off the windows."

Perfume looked at him suspiciously for a bit the slowly eased her foot off of his cloak releasing him. 

"We will need to go out later today or tomorrow to buy some foodstuffs our camping supplies won't last forever."

"Yes dear."

With that Will left and walked outside leaving Perfume to her own devices.

(Outside)

Will blinked confusedly at the path he had hacked on his way to the house. Every single plant that had touched the blade of his scythe was dead right down to the root. This was confirmed when his pulled one from the now barren soil. Although with much of the plant-life dead the stone walkway from the gate to the door was revealed. As he moved to the midway point of the walkway he looked back at the house and was rather surprised at the sheer western feel of the place. Now that he really looked at it the building just seemed out of place even on the outskirts of Nermia. Shrugging it off he began to move his way through the rather high brush of the yard to the closest window, careful not to let his scythe touch any of the plants. Slowly he grasped the first rather old board and with a mighty tug retched it free of the window frame. Looking at the board as if to ask it why it had been so easy to remove he was given his answer, the nails had ripped right through that board and remained fast in the window's frame. Shrugging and deciding to deal with it later he continued his work. The work wasn't all to hard once he got a rhythm down and soon all the bottom floor's windows were fully exposed to the light of the sun once more. Deciding that was enough for now he made his way back to the front door. The other floors could wait till he had more time to explore the house, after all they still had to finish looking all the rooms over. Upon stepping into the house again he was greeted by the rather odd sight of his wife struggling to fold the large amount of white sheets that had previously been covering the furniture. It seemed that wood was a common theme in the house not just wood looking but the real stuff. His eyes widened a bit. While he knew little about furniture, he knew about pricey things For instance he recalled in his initial world furniture and things made from real wood was worth a good deal, and now here he was in a house loaded with the stuff. Again he shrugged it off as unimportant though if wood furniture was as valuable in this world then he may need to keep an eye on Nabiki if she visited. But all that was for later now he needed to go shopping. At least that's what he guessed as Perfume drug him from the house towards one of the markets they had seen in their exploration of the city.

---------

The guide for Jusenkyo had been doing his job for some years now so he had seen strange people come and even stranger things go. So with that in mind the guide had a good right to believe that there was little to nothing that could faze him. This was a wrong assumption. First this odd man had fallen from the sky and smashed the remains of his house that had been on the slow road to being rebuilt. Then something else had fallen from the sky and landed in the spring of the drowned girl. Now the guide was angry and with due cause after-all it was always a good reason to be angry when one's home was destroyed twice in the span or no more than two weeks. So he was going to voice said anger on his new customers, the one in the spring just as soon as she got some clothes and stopped taking those deep, gasping breaths. The man however wasn't as lucky so the guide approached preparing a tirade worthy of his substantial anger. He was interrupted however when a rather large brick plummeted from the heavens and exacted so much divine retribution on the mystery man. With an oddly hollow sounding 'THOCK' the brick smashed into the guy's head and put him into a newer smaller crater. Slowly a strangled 'ow' seeped from the hole and the guide decided to hold off on his talk with the man till he was relatively sure of not having a random object fall from the heavens to batter his tender skull. Michael glanced at the note that was attached to the brick that had just smacked him. 

"Mike,

I hope this note finds you well. I have a few things to tell you. First of all I would like to tell you of something I have deemed necessary for your success, Money. Enclosed you will find a checkbook, an ATM card and some account information for a checking account in Tokyo. Oh did I mention that? You will be meeting with an operative from a friend of mine, and living with him and his wife (or whatever she is). Anyways every month I will put money into that account, you spend it how you see fit just so long as you don't spend it all. As to your Mascot I have chosen a nine-tailed fox, she should arrive right before this message. I have also arranged a part-time job for you at the UN. Something I doubt that you should have much trouble with, they will contact you later.

Interesting Times,

Loki

(Your boss)"

Michael glanced at the girl who was currently wringing her multi colored hair of the extra water she had accumulated, then back at the letter, then to the girl. Suddenly a few more lines appeared on the page.

"P.S. Your mascot's name is… well that's not important right now just call her Fozzy or something, well anyways have fun."

Michael looked at the luscious babe before him and shrugged.

"Hey Fozzy."

"Yes?"

'Okay that worked.'

"What's your name?"

"Grace A. Foxx."

Michael nodded then looked over the letter again.

"Do you know anything about this guy I'm supposed to meet?"

Rather than answer him she just walked up to him and gripped his shoulder then the bag from Loki and then in a flash they were gone. The guide blinked rapidly then went over and checked for the hole to confirm that what he had just seen wasn't just a figment of his addled imagination. The crater proved true, it seemed that he was just having lots of interesting customers lately. 

'Oh well back to setting up the tent.'

---------

Will sighed as he re-approached the Tendo home. It was just his luck that he only had gold and gems as currency. With that thought in mind he decided to return to see Nabiki about some exchange from gold to yen. Behind him Perfume just sighed and wondered why they couldn't just barter the gold for food and other things. But she assumed that her husband knew better having lived in this modern world unlike herself. Will knocked on the oversized wooden door and pulled his hood tighter over his head trying to better protect himself from the lightly falling rain. Perfume herself had taken to wearing one of Will's spare cloaks since she didn't really have one of her own. So it was the two black hooded figures stood in the drizzling rain waiting to speak with the middle Tendo girl. Who by some fluke of fate happened to be the one to greet them.

"Yes can I help you?"

Will nodded and held up a handful of gold and gems that sent Nabiki's heart going pitter pat.

"Yes I need some more of your assistance in having these exchanged for normal currency."

"Will?"

Will nodded.

"It's good to know you remember my name, I hope the memory is a good one."

{Yeah if your memory serves correctly, she's a bitch when you get on her bad side.}

'Shh.'

"For the most part Mr. Will, I was quite pleased with the little gratuity you included in my payment."

Will shrugged and replaced the treasure into his cloak, causing Nabiki to raise an eyebrow.

"Will you be able to assist us Ms. Tendo? We are in a bit of a rush."

Nabiki nodded and returned to the house only to seemingly reappear before them with a small purse of sorts.

"It will be no problem I have a friend over at the bank who owes me a favor."

Will nodded and mentally shrugged figuring there were few places Nabiki didn't have contacts. Well short of the Emperor himself. With that she led Will and Perfume into the business section of Nermia to the bank. After a quick chat with the guard a rather beautiful woman came out and greeted them

"Hello again Nabiki good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Maya. My acquaintance here has a few things that we need you to help with."

Will nodded staying silent, leaving his remarkably dry cloak and hood on, while Perfume had taken to removing her own and was holding it folded over her arms. Nabiki motioned towards the back to where Will presumed the woman's office was. Said motion was caught by the woman who did indeed lead the small group to her office. After closing the door and drawing the shade the woman (Maya) took her seat and held her hands together as she looked over the group. Nabiki sat in one chair on her left while Will sat in the one on the right with his wife standing behind him. 

"We have the need to exchange some things."

With that silent prompt from Nabiki Will dropped a few jewels and a handful of gold coins onto Maya's desk. He allowed her a moment to reattach her jaw and get to doing her job. Shaking her head a bit to clear it she looked at the small pile of treasure then to Will, and took out a few pieces of paperwork from her desk.

"Ok Mr. ...?"

Before Will could answer Nabiki spoke. 

"I'm sorry Maya but my client only speak Chinese, but he can comprehend Japanese just fine."

Maya nodded and over the next few minutes she and Nabiki filled out the paper work. By the time it was all said and done they had only taken an hour to get all the treasure on the table and change it into currency. They also set up and account and a way for Will to deposit gold to Maya to have it changed to yen a little later. As the trio left the bank Will handed Nabiki a few gold coins and thanked her for her assistance, then went on his way with his wife. Nabiki just turned around and went back into the bank to exchange the gold for yen. This Will guy seemed to be a god sent already her family was secure for a good few months with enough extra to do a couple extra thing and not have to worry too heavily about the cost.

(Another part of the Business District)

Will blinked to himself in confusion already he was loaded down with more things than he should have been able to carry. He couldn't even begin to think about how fast his wife had shopped, all he knew was that she was now in her element, and with her bountiful assets she was able to get quite a few good deals out of the inexperience male shop employees. He managed to slowly and discreetly begin to slip things into the volumes of his cloak so as to better store them and leave more room for other things. Already the couple had raided the grocer, and a linen store. Currently Will had no idea where they were going only that he was following his wife to wherever she led him. And so it was for the next hour and a half Will and his lovely wife Perfume bought thing they would need for the house With Perfume leading and Will carrying.

(Back home later)

Will sighed heavily as he sat on the old worn sofa in the main common room. His wife was currently stocking the kitchen with the food and things they had bought. Will was merely needed for labor, which he had performed remarkably well. Already perfume was talking about going out tomorrow to buy some more furniture. Will just shook his head at that, she wasn't even aware of what furniture they had, they had yet to explore the upper floors, as well as the back portion of the house. Heck Will needed to have her come with him to look over the training hall that was in the backyard. As Will began to ponder the horrors of furniture shopping a rather strange light flashed outside the front bay window. Figuring he had better investigate Will brought his scythe around and held it at ready. Already his tired mind was thinking about a possible Kuno attack so he approached warily (after all he had yet to meet the neighbors). Whoever was outside chose that moment to knock on the front door. Will turned the knob of the front door slowly and pulled the door open. What he saw before him was a scene of dread he could barely comprehend. (Though looking back on it later Will had to agree it wasn't as bad as initially thought, though not much worse.) Before him a rather odd looking character stood with a rather nude and oddly colored person a bit behind him. The man before him was dark skinned and had slightly tousled hair, he was dressed in a pair of black pants with a black shirt, over these clothes the person wore black trench coat with a rather large amount of metal buckles and thing hanging from it. In fact if Will had to say so he looked like a thinner, darker skinned, better-dressed Ryu from the Street Fighter game. His further musings were interrupted by something odd that accompanied a strange battle cry.

"Pie in the face."

So saying Will found himself blinded by a cream filled dessert. Reacting as well as he could Will swung his scythe wildly in the direction of the perpetrator of the act. The first few swing missed while the fifth one managed to hit his slippery opponent. When he heard the telltale sound of a body hitting the ground Will quickly used the sleeve of his cloak to wipe the cream from his eyes. Will looked at his assailant who had a rather large bump on the side of his head. Will looked down at his scythe and was surprised to see a dent that greatly resembled the side of the man's head. Said dent slowly straightened itself out. As soon as it had the guy who had attacked Will was back on his feet. 

"Who the hell are you?"

The guy's face took on a rather dark continence and he looked at Will with a slightly disturbing gleam in his eye.

"I'm the shadow that lurks in the night, I'm the tea bag that sits in your tea, I'm.... uh Michael please to meet you."

Will glared at Michael and slowly shook the pre-offered hand.

"I'm Will and I can safely say the feeling isn't mutual."

Michael rubbed his head and chuckled a bit.

"Yeah sorry about that I just had to vent a bit and you were the first guy available"

Will looked past Mike to his companion completely unaware of his wife coming up from behind him. He blinked a bit as he took in Michael's traveling partner appearance, as Michael did the same to Perfume. The girl with the oddly colored hair was stark naked and showed off her rather well formed bronze body with little shame. Will's further observations were cut short by his wife as she slammed her elbow into the back of his head and gave him a rather un-welcomed face full of dirt. Before Will could regain his footing Perfume tossed the nude female the cloak she herself had used earlier.

"Put this on before my husband get anymore dim ideas."

Michael looked at Perfume oddly then spoke.

"Don't you mean bright ideas?"

Perfume glanced at him taking her glaring eyes momentarily from her husband's downed form.

"You obviously don't know my husband very well."

Michael could only nod, since she was indeed right, he didn't know the guy very well. Slowly but with a dignity that one wouldn't think was possible from a man in Will's position he stood and looked to Michael again.

"Is there something that we can help you with?"

"Uh I think so… I'm here from the guy upstairs."

Will raised an eyebrow recognizing the innuendo though not sure if he should believe the stranger.

"Is that so? You have any proof?"

Michael began to pad himself down looking for the note from Loki. Soon enough he found it and gave it to Will with a smile. Will took the paper and raised an eyebrow as he read it. He suddenly smiled thinly and turned the blank sheet of paper around.

"Okay this is a very nice sheet of paper but what do you want me to do about it?"

Michael blinked and took the paper back and watched in fascination as the words for the note slowly reformed onto the page. As the last line filled in new words began to appear.

"P.P.S. Oh did I forget to tell you that the only one who can read this paper is you? I guess I did."

Michael blinked and slowly put the letter back into his pocket. Now he was racking his brain trying to come up with a way to prove that he was from where he said. While Michael did this Grace moved up from behind and removed the sword Loki had given Mike from its sheath. Slowly she presented it to Will for him to examine. Will took the offered sword and looked it up and down then looked closely at the blade by the hilt. He laughed at the inscription that was there and drew Michael's attention away from his own musings.

"What's so funny Will?"

Will smiled, handed the sword back to Grace and then turned and smiled to his wife. 

"This is a friend of one of my old bosses. At least I guess he is."

'It's a good thing I used those gifts that Loki gave me while I had them.'

Michael took the blade from grace and looked at the inscription near the hilt.

"This is a rune sword and I don't know why I have it or why no one wants it. Loki"

Michael blinked and read it again then shrugged and put it back into the sheath.

"So can we come in?"

Perfume blinked and looked at her husband oddly then grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him inside and shut the door. Both Mike and Grace blinked at the sudden sounds of explicit violence from within the home.

"You sure this is the place Grace?"

"Yes this is where Loki instructed me to bring you."

Michael was about to say something but decided otherwise as the door creaked open and a rather abused looking Will leaned against the doorframe.

"Okay you can stay but don't piss off my wife too badly ok?"

Michael nodded as he walked into the house with grace close behind carrying his bag. Michael nodded and let off a brief whistle as he observed the relative splendor of the house.

"So the pay for your job's pretty good huh?"

"Pay?"

"You know your monthly salary from your boss."

Will blinked and glared a bit towards the heavens.

"Actually this is due to my wife's people."

"Her people?"

"Yeah the Amazons."

"Oh bet her in a fight huh?"

"Yeah."

With that Will began to walk up the stairs and motioned for the two to follow.

"Well come on lets get you two a room picked out. Mind you we haven't cleaned the upstairs yet."

Michael nodded absently as he observed Grace's ascent of the stairs. Before he was halfway up he turned and walked back outside, then looked to the heavens. He thought about how he found himself in this mess and couldn't pinpoint any one thing except.

"Loki you are a real jerk you know that."

As if in response to his a passing he had earlier startled, bird relieved itself on his upturned face. Michael merely scowled in response.

---------

(Now this chapter's Ranma Updated brought to us by Nermia Realty: remember Ask for Miko.) 

Ranma blinked blearily in the darkness of the hull of the ship he and his father had stowed away on. Beside him his father snored away dreams of an easy retirement lulling him to sleep. Ranma sighed as he looked out the miniscule porthole by where they had taken to hiding. The stars twinkled in the night sky as the ship rocked slowly back and forth along the waves. Ranma and his father had managed to give the crazy Amazon girl the slip while in Shanghai. So now he and his father were going back to Japan in relative comfort. Genma had said that they only had one more stop before they reached the end of their training trip, then they could return home. Ranma sighed again as he thought of his mother it had been so long since he had seen her in fact he couldn't even remember her face. With thoughts of his imminent reunion with his mother in mind Ranma allowed the gentle rocking of the boat to send him into a peaceful sleep.

Back in Shanghai Shampoo scowled at the distant horizon to where Japan was. Her quarry had escaped her and managed to get onto a boat bound for the outsider girl's apparent homeland. Oh she was anger of that you could be sure but she wasn't going to let this setback hold her for long there was only so many places that Girl-type Ranma could hide and sooner or later she would be found then Shampoo would exact her revenge. With that Shampoo turned away and returned to her camp.

(TBC)


	9. Welcome to the Madhouse

For disclaimer see prologue.

{ ... } - thought speaking

[ ... ] - Weapon speak

****

Chapter 07

__

Welcome to the Madhouse

By: Master Yume & Blind Man X

(Somewhere)

In the Shadows surrounding a small area of light many stood, and watched as they came forward to try… well nothing, but the attempt was worth the wait. The in-between time where everyone watched was daunting, but these two they watched were the two that would attempt what they all had tried to do in their own time but ultimately failed. In fact many of them had failed harshly but it was to be understood by others, The gods were harsh task masters. Purgatory is what the place was called, and many here called it their home while others called it their hell. To many it was like having every channel in the universe but there was nothing good on. Most over time began to care less and less, while others had not a care in the world, so many had become watchers. Mere spectators as the fates and gods played games all around them. Now as it was two new people were playing, they were going to have to face the same stakes that many here had faced before, while at the same time facing all new challenges. However this was the first time that any could remember someone working for the Norse Loki. Many felt that for this fact alone this were destined to get interesting. In this place of souls lost both to heaven and hell, bet were being made and votes were taken, as to the outcome of the coming events. The task while difficult was by no means impossible, the goal was not unattainable. The managers of the players however kept deciding to change the rules of the game as the players played. However now that a bit of chaos had been liberally added to the mix all old bets were off. A new game stood before them, and oh how they all loved a good game.

---------

(Back in Ranma-verse # 1291)

Will sighed as he finally placed the last book onto the shelves. Finally after almost three week he was rid of all those book that he had recovered from Typhous's lair. Now as he looked around his new basement hideaway he realized that there was little left to do. He had the internet (T1 line of course) and a small but powerful laptop hooked up. Between himself and Michael they easily covered the Nabiki and labor expenses. He was quite proud of himself thanks to a small ward he had placed on the front gate few people gave the place a second glance, and those that did were halted from entering unless someone from the inside allowed them. So as it was Nabiki had yet to see the rather large amount of treasure that was currently in a safe in the corner of the basement. So now all that was left was to enact the proper barrier around his basement… well base of sorts.

'Ok Captain Archive what's first?"

{What did you just call me?}

'Captain Archive, why?'

{Just what do you mean by that?}

'Well since these are all your books and you do know what's in all of them I just figured I'd come up with an appropriate title for you.'

{Yeah well you can keep you title, I'll stick with being called Typhous thank you very much.}

[I like the name.]

{I didn't ask you.}

'Down boy no need to start a mental war up there I don't think I could handle it.'

Then almost simultaneously Siren and Typhous readily agreed.

'Thanks for the vote of confidence you two. But anyways what's first Typhous?'

Typhous took a moment to observe the room through Will's eyes. Allowing himself to take in the new layout. Surprisingly enough Will had managed to place the books in the proper order.

{Okay we'll need the red book in the third shelf down. Then the brown book two cases over third shelf down and the other brown book over by that laptop thing.}

Will nodded and set to getting the book then set them on what he had deemed his 'Magic Station.' He opened all the books to the pages that Typhous told him of then began to read them. Unlike all the spells he had cast so far some of these required a bit of a ritual, or potion mixing. Reading from the red book he began to walk about to the opposite side of the room where the ingredients that Typhous had made him snag were being stored. And so it was Will worked to properly fortify his new base of operations with Typhous coaching him appropriately.

(Upstairs two floors)

Michael sat on a bed in the room that Will had given him on the second floor of the surprisingly large estate. It had been only two days since he had come here. With his cash flow added to Will's existing one (After all it was the man's job to handle the household affairs, at least that was Perfume's opinion) thus increasing the amount of food anime and clothes that the house could afford. But the worst part of all this also added to the clothes fund (As Perfume and Grace referred to it.) If only He had know that Grace was going to take to clothes like she had, then he would have tried to get some larger muscles. Slowly he looked about the rather spacious room. The only thing that really stood out to him was the forty inch screen television. The notebook he had bought was great as well. The thing that caught his attention the most was the shelves of Anime and Anime cells that were either there or soon would be. Michael overall opinion of Loki had jumped another few points after the bank card idea, for now Michael had money enough to burn… It was too bad that Grace's clothes shopping was currently putting a blowtorch to it. It wasn't really that bad having a spirit fox that could change into human form for a mystical mascot, however it was putting a serious dent into his newly acquired bank account to dress her. Michael remembered with a shiver the first time that she had gone in a clothes store. What really sent him into shivers of fear was the walk home afterwards with the veritable mountain of clothing. He had gone back and forth from shop to shop with the pile just getting bigger and bigger, but him not getting any stronger. Now thinking back on it, it was a veritable miracle that he made it home.

'Damn it no one needs that many shoes. She only has two feet.'

Michael shook his head and got up from the relatively comfortable bed. It wasn't that bad living here with Will and his wife even if the two of them were a bit weird even by his standards, and that was saying something. The way that Grace had sparked Perfume's own clothes shopping habit was nothing short of scary. What was even scarier was the fact that two grown men in the employment of two high class deities (although maybe Loki could be classified as low class) were suddenly turned into mere footmen to carry the bags for their respective female counterpart. As Michael made his way out of the room he almost felt that his heart should be going out to Will for the… blight he brought upon the guy, but his feet just hurt too damned much. Michael slowly made his way out of his room and down the stairs. He felt that he should have a talk with Will concerning a few things, so he was currently making his way from his room to find Will. His feet shuffled listlessly as he moved across the living room towards the basement door. It wasn't that hard to find Will if one really wanted to; He was either with Perfume, doing heavy labor outside, or in the basement of the house. But most of the time he was in the basement. As Michael turned a corner he spotted Grace making her way towards him with that horrid 'Shopping Gleam' in her eye. Quickly in a feat the belied the tired state of his body he pressed himself against a wall and began thinking real quiet thoughts hoping to not be discovered. Grace walked past him the stopped and looked about quickly suddenly she began sniffing the air and Michael began to sweat. 

'Oh gods she's going to find me. That's it I'm done for I'm going home in a bag I know it.'

Grace's stature suddenly straightened as Perfume walking in with a towel draped over her shoulders and a good deal of sweat covering her body.

"Oh hello Perfume have you seen Michael anywhere?"

Perfume tilted her head a bit as she thought. Michael began to sweat all the more.

"No Perfume no see tricky boy. We find him and go shop yes?"

Grace and Perfume shared a co-conspiring wink as they proceed to head upstairs to the room he had just left. Michael tensed as he heard the telltale creek of the stairs as the two girls ascended. Once he was fairly sure they were out of earshot he quickly made his way to the basement. He looked down at the door knob and sighed it wasn't like he needed to knock or anything, after all Will didn't have a security system down here. With that he turned the door knob. ZAAAAAAAAAAPP!

Will looked up from his table as there was a sudden flash from under the door to the basement. 

'What the hell was that?'

Will sniffed the air.

'And why in the hell do I smell fried chicken?'

{Either Perfume is cooking, or someone's tripped the defense grid.}

[Ooh ooh can we eat them?]

Both Will and Typhous mentally glared at Siren.

{Why is it that I have to put up with her?}

'Because I said now both of you shut up. I'm going to take a look.'

With that Will stood up and walked to the door, looking around he didn't anyone. However he heard a faint groan from the floor. There he saw a rather well cooked Michael twitching slightly.

"Ah Michael how nice of you to come by… unannounced. Won't you come in?"

Michael could only respond with another groan. Will sighed and scooped up the rather charred form of Michael and brought him inside and shut the door just before Perfume and Grace looked down the stairwell checking for Michael immediately after the door closed.

"Should we ask your husband if he's seen Michael."

"No we leave husband to work." 

"What does he do down there anyways?"

"Perfume find it good to no ask."

With that Grace and Perfume left to explore other parts of the house to find their victim… er… footman… ah that is to say guy. 

---------

Loki chuckled as he watched his heir narrowly avoid getting suckered into another shopping trip with his mascot. He grabbed a bit more of his popcorn and ate it noisily.

"They couldn't write stuff as funny as this for TV even if they tried."

Daryl glared at Loki and sighed as he went back to some of his paperwork.

"Must you do that in my office? Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Loki turned to the former mortal form of death and attempted to pull off the sad-dewy-eyed puppy look but was failing miserably.

"You almost sound like you don't want me here."

Death stared evenly at Loki in the manner that only the reaper could.

"I don't want you here."

Loki blinked then looked back at the scrying mirror that hovered in front of him.

"Oh now what's happening?"

Daryl sighed and banged his head on the desk a few times.

---------

Will sighed as he completed the healing spell on Michael giving the man back his odd looking tan and removing the six to ten layers of soot from him. Michael had somehow remained conscious throughout the whole ordeal and was beginning to test his body's reacquired mobility while resting on the black leather sofa.

"Wow you're pretty good at that Will."

Will shrugged and went back to his work table that had his rune-scythe laying across it.

"What can I say I got the knowledge, and you know what they say… Knowledge is power. Or some such bullshit."

Michael nodded absently as he began to look over Will's underground lair. Oddly enough even though it was underground the space was remarkably well lit, by the four lights hanging from the ceiling as well as the couple lamps Will had placed around on the wall. The wall mounted lamps were of the more primitive variety and were lit by a bluish-green flame, of what Mike had to guess was magically created. The walls the lamps hung from were a slate gray and seemed to be carved out of what had once been solid rock and held up the high ceiling of the room. The floor was just cold cement with no decoration what-so-ever. Over to the far side from where he was sitting was the hulking form of the house's black wrought iron furnace. The walls to his immediate left and right were covered in bookracks filled with books. Over near the one window that the basement had was a desk/entertainment center, or at least that's how Michael would describe it. It was a wood desk with a laptop computer sitting on it's surface. Next to that settled at an angle was a twenty seven inch color TV, with a VCR/DVD combo player on top of it. Next to the desk was a set of shelves that was a great deal smaller than the other bookcases the room held. On the shelves were various animes and mangas, this proved Michael's earlier theory about Will having his own stash of anime down here in his little retreat. Over all the basement had gone from a dark dreary place with little life to a less dark just as dreary with almost as little life. Mike leaned back and made himself comfortable of the rather large leather couch that Will had down here. Michael was comfortable just sitting, especially after the rather forceful shock that he had received when he had tried to open the door. He was quite content to just sit and not risk another shock or anything. He looked over at Will whose still form was even now still huddled over his work table doing something to his scythe. Finally Michael decided to break the silence that had been surrounding the two of them.

"So Will is it ok if I ask you a few things?"

Michael took Will's responsive grunt as a 'Yes'.

"Okay thanks I just want to do this to get a few things straight."

Will sighed and nodded as he redirected the majority of his attention to Michael and looked over at him. Michael looked Will dead in the eyes and began his questioning.

"Are you really Death's heir?"

"Yes."

"You also have a cursed form from Jusenkyo that gave you and extra limb."

Will nodded and his tail waved at Mike.

"Okay. You have a rune weapon."

Will grabbed his scythe from the table and held it up as he smiled.

"You also have an extremely rare collection of magic books at many people would give their left kidney to see."

Will blinked a bit confused at Michael but nodded.

"You have the person that wrote a good many of these books currently living in your head."

Will gave him a brief salute.

"You also got so advanced Amazonian training."

Will nodded and flexed his arms to show the muscles.

"And you have a wife that enjoys beating you."

Will looked at Michael and blinked.

"Hey man, you're making her sound like Akane or something. She doesn't beat me cause she likes it she beats me cause she thinks that's the only way she can prove her points to me. And let me tell you, I sometimes give as good as I get."

"Ok so basically you have a Amazon babe as a wife who tends to get violent with you when you both disagree on something."

Will smiled and nodded.

"Yep, ain't I the bomb?"

Mike stared at Will for a moment or two then put his head into his hands and cried. Will raised an eyebrow as he looked at Michael and began to look around the room nervously. Suddenly Michael shot to his feet with surprising force. He raised his fist in the universally understood sign of righteous indignation, and yelled at the roof of the basement.

"You heartless bastard. You put me into a Dragonball Z situation and make him into Gohan or something while you make me into Krillan. I mean for god's sake KRILLAN! That's cold even for you."

Will looked at Michael as he breathed heavily from his outburst. Then spoke in a serious tone.

"Look Michael, just because I got: the power, the skill, the hot and able-bodied wife, the cool place and the gear; doesn't mean you got totally screwed."

Michael looked up at Will with questions in his eyes.

"It just mean I got the better boss."

Mike blinked as he thought about what Will had said. As he did this Will watched a package materialize above him and proceeded to knock the tanned trickster to the ground.

"See what I mean?"

Michael only groaned as he sat back up and rubbed his recently abused cranium. Will looked at the box and grabbed the piece of paper that was harmlessly fluttering towards the floor. 

"Hmm. Michael, here's the magic upgrade I promised you in the contract. But since you had no magic initially the upgrade consists of just basic spells. Enjoy. Signed your ever-loving Boss Loki."

Michael stared at the package. Then looked at the letter that Will had just read from, and a sudden realization hit him much like the box had. 

"Hey that jerk promised me good magic. Sonuvabitch he gypped me."

Will merely shrugged and handed Mike the letter.

"It could be worse."

"Like how so?"

"Like he could have had a preset clause in your contract that you would only be taught a certain type of magic. Or maybe taught only after completing some death defying tasks or something. Besides basic magic is better than no magic."

Michael had to concede to Will's point. After all the guy was right Loki could have really shafted him magic-wise. But he apparently didn't. So with that in mind Michael slowly and carefully opened the box. Will watched as the lines of magic flowed from the box and slowly began to be absorbed by Michael body. It was a slow process to say the least but still it was happening before his very eyes. 

{Hmm.}

'You know I hate it when you say 'Hmm.' So what's up?'

{It looks like he had a previous disposition towards fire magic.}

'So?'

{So the contents of that box were just what Loki said; an upgrade. So it's going to upgrade his existing fire-magic abilities.}

'So he's going to suck at most magic but will excel in Fire based stuff.'

{Right.}

'I think now would be a good time to go out and find somewhere else for me and him to train magically. I don't want to have to deal with any more repair bills than absolutely necessary.'

"That's one spicy meatball."

Will blinked and looked over at Michael, who was now flexing his hands in front of his face as he felt the power contained in them. It was almost like a burning sensation but it didn't hurt, it was just there. Will placed his rather large hand on Michael's shoulder in order to get his attention.

"I think we had better go for a walk. I am not about to let you practice here and risk blowing something up."

"Okay so where do we go?"

Will had to stop and think about that. They could go out to the wood on the nearby hill, but that could be bad too especially if Michael Fire magic was as powerful as Typhous described. Some place else that may not notice two guys throwing around magic attacks.

'Hmm magic attacks. If Juban here is anything like the Juban in the Sailor Moon universe then the people there are as shell shocked to magic as the people here will be towards Martial arts feat.'

"C'mon Mike we're leaving."

"Where to?"

"Juban park."

"Uh okay, if you say so."

With that Michael stood up and brushed some of the dust from his black clothes. Will stood by with his scythe in hand almost like it was nothing more than a walking stick. Albeit a really dangerous and deadly walking stick, but a walking stick nevertheless. Will made sure that all the proper enchantments were in place as he locked the basement door that led to the outside. When everything was in order he began to walk towards the front gates.

"Wait a sec Will-Bill-Boy don't you know a teleportation spell or something that could just, you know, zap us there."

"I do but I think I'll need to save the magic I have for matters that may come up later."

"Why?"

"Come on man you know how unpredictable Nermia is even with out Ranma. Plus the fact that I don't know the area well enough yet to try a teleport."

Michael just shrugged and nodded as he began to step out of the front gates following Will. He did so just in time too, for at the moment Perfume and Grace's search for him had just begun it's front yard portion.

---------

Ranma stretched in the bright sun as he stood at the bow of the ship. He and his father had remained hiding long enough so that when they did come out the ticket takers had already collected/discarded all the tickets. The salty breeze whipped at Ranma's face as he stood there. Behind him his father, the idiot that the man was, was in his cursed form playing one of the crewman in a game of Shogi. Oh it seemed that Genma's method of playing was not as odd as Ranma thought it to be initially. The sailor was cheating just as good as Genma was. As such it had been nearly a half an hour since either side had made any real progress. As Ranma was watching his father a malicious wave chose that moment to wash over the side of the ship consequently soaking Ranma and triggering the boy's curse. Onna Ranma wiped her wet red hair from her eyes and turned to glare balefully at the sea. At the rate they were going they should reach Japan in a day or two although that storm cloud on the horizon may slow them down. Ranma couldn't wait to get back on dry land. His dad said that they only had one more stop to make before the trip was finished. Then they could go and see his mother again. So Ranma took the things that happened to him in stride waiting till he could meet his mother again.

Back in Shanghai Shampoo was arguing with a ship's captain about his price for passage to the Land of the Rising Sun. One of the more brave crewmen choose that moment to try and cope a feel of the luscious Amazonian princess. Unfortunately for him Shampoo did not like his advances. She showed her displeasure by punching the man in his face and sub-sequentially sending him careening over the dock, the boat and making him splash down hard into the sea. Suddenly the Captain got a very odd look in his eye. (Yes eye he was going for the pirate look and had a crooked patch covering his left eye.) Shampoo blinked as the captain's price went from the questionable variety to the monetary variety. The low monetary variety. Shampoo quickly agreed to the price and gave him the requested amount, or at least her best estimation of the amount. So now all she had to do was get to Japan and find Girl Ranma then it would be smooth sailing home, where she would be greeted by praise, medals, a parade. Oh she just couldn't wait.

---------

As Will and Michael walked through that Juban prefecture Will couldn't help but wonder what had possessed Michael to buy and wear that face paint he was currently sporting The guy looked like the damned Crow. Michael suddenly took notice of a couple of kids shouting and pointing at something in the alley. Quietly he motioned for Will to stay silent and slowly made his way over towards the kids. It appeared to our two heroes that this was nothing more than a group of bullies picking on some poor unfortunate person.

"You damn little freak. We're sick of you and it's about time that we taught you a lesson." 

Michael managed to get a glimpse at whom the group was yelling at and saw a small pale-skinned girl with purple-black hair. Michael looked at Will and mouthed that they had to help Will nodded his head and stood to his full height then slowly began to draw on the powers given to him as part of his new mantel Michael watched (as this was the first time he saw Will go into 'Death-mode') in fascination. Will's flesh and skin seemed to just melt away slowly forming a menacing black cloud that surrounded his form. Will height increased till he stood about seven and a half feet tall. The blade of his scythe went from black to silver. Finally the transformation was complete and the black cloud that had once made Will's flesh surrounded him like an aura of Death. Michael nodded to his skeletal companion and began to make his move, which was just in time cause it was now that the group of boys chose to begin to close in on their prey.

"Hey you punks leave her alone."

The boys stopped and turned to look at Michael thus leaving Will's form completely out of their line of vision.

"You heard me I said leave her alone."

The one that Will and Michael figured was that lead bully stepped forward and out of the alley the others following close behind.

"So some loser in face paint thinks that he's going to be a hero and save the little freak huh? I guess this is better now we'll get two for the price of one."

The other boys all shared a malicious grin at the thought of putting the beat down on two freaks. Michael however smiled just as maliciously at the boys if not more so. Then spared the girl in the alleyway a glance, and saw she was curled up into a fetal position and shaking.

"I don't think so boys."

"Oh and what are you going to do to stop us huh?"

Michael held up his hands in a gesture of innocence.

"Oh no, no, no. I'm not going to do anything."

"Ha I knew it you're nothing more than a weak freak like that one in the alley."

"However, the guy behind you is not as much of a pacifist as I am."

The boys, as a group, slowly turned their heads and looked behind them. Will stood in all his glory with his death aura whipping about him in a frightening manner. The skull smiled at the group of bullies and before Michael could even finish blinking the group was gone leaving nothing more than a wet puddle on the pavement. Will slipped out of his Death-guise and made his way towards the alley where Michael had already gone to comfort the girl.

'Huh.'

[What 'huh' Master Yume?]

'It's just that that scene reminded me of something I once saw in an anime.'

{Hmm. Interesting.}

'I'm not asking.'

Michael meanwhile was coaxing the girl out of her fetal position

"C'mon the bullies are gone my friend and I chased them off."

The girl spared a glance at Michael and saw his smiling face and behind him Will's contemplative look.

"Thank you."

"It was no problem for us."

It was here that Hotaru Tomoe stood up and faced her combined saviors. The shy little prep school girl smiled a fraction as she looked upon her two saviors. One was dressed all in black and had his face painted so he looked like a mime. His skin on his hands was tanned deeply and his hair was blonde and spiky. The one behind him was also wearing black but as opposed to the black pants, shirt, and coat ensemble that the first one was wearing, this one was wearing a black hooded cloak and carrying a frightening looking scythe.

"Wow that kind of reminded me of… an… anime?"

Michael watched a bit confused as Will's eyes landed on the girl they had saved and slowly widened to the size of frying pans. There right in front of him was none other than Hotaru Tomoe, also known as or at least soon to be known as, Sailor Saturn.

'WHAT THE F***!?'

To say that Will was shocked would be as big an understatement as saying the ocean was wet. In his mind while a Ranma/SM crossover made for good fan fiction it shouldn't be happening to him. In fact if he were here still living he would have probably dropped dead out of shock.

'She shouldn't be here. It's impossible that she is here.'

{Calm down Will.}

Mike watched with an odd look as Will looked like he was having trouble breathing, The look that Will's eyes had looked like he half expected the girl before him to pull out a pitch fork out of her backpack and attack. Michael really didn't see the big deal. Sure she was a Sailor Moon character, hell she was one of the most powerful, but it wasn't like she wasn't supposed to exist here or something. Looking back at Will who now seemed to be trying with a great effort to restart his own heart, and seeing as he was dead (as far as Michael understood) it would probably help very little. Suddenly Will head whipped to the side and he stared intently at the roof of a building nearby.

"Michael, take Hotaru and go to that ice cream shop we passed a few blocks back."

Michael looked at Will oddly as he stared at the rooftops. 

"Just go Michael, I'll catch up in a bit."

Michael just nodded and took little Hotaru's hand and walked to the mouth of the alley. Hotaru looked at the strange man as she passed and she noticed just how tall he was. Michael stopped at the mouth of the alley and looked back at Will questioningly, Will merely waved him off, and so Michael left. As the two left the alleyway Will glanced back at the roof he concentrated for a bit then began to cast a teleportation spell.

'You feel that?'

{Yes something feels off about it.}

[You should check it out Master Yume.]

Will nodded and finished the teleportation spell, and in a flash of shadowed light he vanished from the alley. A moment later he appeared on the rooftop that he had been observing from the ground. In front of him was a figure that was currently looking down into the alley.

"You know it's not nice to spy."

Said figure spun around and faced Will with wide red eyes. Will recognized the person who had been spying on the little alley meeting, immediately, it was none other than Sailor Pluto. Said defender of love and justice glared at the black cloaked form of Will.

"You! What do you think you are doing?"

"Well I was helping a little girl who was about to be needlessly attacked, and in desperate need of a friend or two, before I sensed someone watching me."

Pluto's glare intensified as she listened to Will speak.

"You had better be careful, you are meddling in things you couldn't possibly understand."

Will looked at her and decided that while in the show she appeared to be a mysterious babe, in person she just came off as a bitch.

"You had best consult your time gates a bit closer, before you accidentally piss off the wrong people Ms. Pluto, or should I say Meiou?"

This took the pretty warrior of the planet Pluto back a bit, Not only did this person's presence affect the time stream oddly but he also seemed to know who she was. These bits of info added up to one thing in her mind. This person whoever they were was a threat to Crystal Tokyo, and thus had to be dealt with as well as his little friend. She summoned her Time Staff and held it at ready before her. Will glared at her and pulled his scythe out and held it in front of him so he could defend himself. Pluto attack first as Will expected her to. She charged him silently but moved quickly and efficiently. She swung with her key shaped weapon and was deftly blocked by Siren's handle. Will return attack and slashed at her only to have her jump away and barely avoid getting sliced. Before She even had both legs on the ground she was on the attack again swing at Will. Will jumped back and channeled a fireball through his weapon and screamed out his attack. 

---------

Michael and Hotaru arrived to the ice cream shop in short time. Going up to the counter Michael looked at Hotaru and spoke.

"What would you like?"

"Um… can I have a scoop of strawberry?"

Michael nodded and the guy behind the counter scooped the order.

"I'll have the mint-chocolate chip. And a sundae with vanilla."

The pair now with their ice creams in hand walked over and took their seat in a booth Michael looked back in the direction of the alley they had left Will in. He could feel some power building there and wondered what had happened to Will. He was shook from his contemplation by Hotaru speaking to him.

"I'm sorry what did you say?"

"I said thank you for saving me."

"Oh no problem we felt it isn't right for such a cute girl to be getting picked on."

Hotaru blushed cutely at the comment.

"How did your friend.."

"His name is Will."

"Oh okay. Uh how did Will know my name."

Michael's smile twitched for a second as he racked his brain for a good response that would reveal anything.

"Uh… you remind him of a niece he had. Yeah that's it, you look almost just like his niece named Hotaru."

"Oh."

Michael worked a bit more on his ice cream, before Hotaru cleared her throat to get his attention. 

"Yes?"

"Why is it that you are both dressed in black?"

"Uh… well it brings out our eyes."

"But I couldn't even see Will's eyes."

"Well in his case it hides his."

"Oh but why are you dressed like a crazy mime?"

"I'm working to be a new aged mime."

"New aged?"

"We talk."

"Oh."

With that the two went back to their respective ice creams.

---------

"BLAZING BLADE!"

Sailor Pluto deftly flipped away from the attack as it smashed into the roof leaving a burnt gash in the roof. Will however had known she would avoid the attack and was already charging at her. Just as she was about to land Will swung heavily putting a great deal of force behind his attack. Pluto however proved her battle experience and managed to move around the attack but not without the blade of night cleaving into her black skirt and cutting it. She backed up a bit as she landed and held her staff in a defensive position. While she had been expecting a fight from this person she had not been expecting the fight he was giving her. Luckily enough for Will the lessons that had been forced into his mind were indeed the best there was to offer. That coupled with his newly acquired endurance and fortitude were giving him a much higher advantage than he had against Perfume. This time he attacked, as opposed to waiting for Pluto. He led off with the blunt end of his weapon and tried to strike the green haired woman in her stomach but she dodged to the left and swung with her own weapon knocking into Will's stomach with a great deal of power. Will barely managed to recover his equilibrium as he landed nearly sending him off the edge of the roof they were battling on. While the strike had not hurt him physically it had been enough to knock him off his feet. Using the small outcropping on the roof he launched himself at Pluto, she met his attack head on and managed to redirect his momentum so that he careened past her. Luckily enough for Will he had been expecting something like that and managed to hook the front of her leg with one of the grips on the handle of his weapon, taking his opponent down and onto her back. He rolled as he landed to lighten the impact, while Pluto rolled to the side and to her feet. Both spun and faced each other in an eerily synchronized sort of way. Will narrowed his eyes as he felt Typhous in the back of his mind. Siren was practically singing in his head as she was answering a battle lust that she hadn't even know was in her. Will had a sudden thought and decided to try it. Willing his power into Siren, the rune weapon suddenly unleashed a chain the started at the blade's base and coiled around the length of the handle. Will smiled evilly as he heaved back and hurled his weapon at Sailor Pluto. Sailor Pluto, not having noticed the chain that had magically appeared, thought that her opponent was going to throw away his weapon. So she ducked and went under the now spinning scythe. As it passed over her she went onto the attack planning to catch Will unaware. As she was about to reach him she noticed the chain that was wrapped around his right hand. A chain which he gave a vicious tug on. Twirling around at a speed the Tasmanian Devil would have been proud of she lifted her Time Staff and blocked the incoming blade stopping it just inches from her person. Will smirked and attacked again, using his index finger he stabbed into the concrete roof and whispered the 'Breaking Point'. Pluto had no idea what he had just done but when the roof exploded beneath her she was poorly prepared. The resulting wave of force and debris flung Pluto across the alleyway that Will and his companion had previously been in. She landed with a meaty thump with Will close behind his scythe again in his hands. Pluto unsteadily got to her feet and glared at Will who throughout the entire fight still had his hood up concealing almost all of his features. Will smirked as he watched Pluto slowly rising, it had been a stroke of brilliance to use the two techniques he had recently learned at almost the same time. It seemed that Will's mind was a bit better at battle situations than he had given it credit for. Pluto's mind was racing, never had she expected her foe to be this battle ready. He had shown an experience level that far surpassed his apparent age level, now she felt it was time to whip out the big guns. Holding her staff steadily before her she called upon her mastery over time and whispered two words.

"Dead scream."

The attack flashed and flew from the garnet orb at the end of her staff. Will watched the attack with wide eyes. While he knew she would probably use it he was not prepared for the shear power factor that the attack held behind it. 

{Will MOVE!}

Typhous's voice snapped Will out of his revere and sent the boy into the only course of action he could think of. With a great swing he smashed the end of his scythe into the attack like it were a baseball. The attack shuddered from the impact, then suddenly whipped back towards Pluto. Will noticed that on it's return flight the energy seemed to be a great deal weaker than it had been on it flight towards him. Pluto blinked in shock, part of most of the Sailor's attack consisted of a small spell that distracted the opponent's mind from the obvious danger that the attack would bring, so normally when an attack was launched most enemies stopped what they were doing, to just stare at the attack and their own doom. While the power was a huge deal more evident in Sailor Moon's attack it was contained in all the scouts attacks, it was merely a factor of if they could impart their will on said power. She was greatly disturbed when her opponent just at the last moment shook of the preliminary spell. To do that would take years of mental conditioning again she was further surprised and greatly angered as Will smashed her attack right back at her. Glaring she called again on her powers and fired another attack at the first the two canceling each other out. This foe of the future she had waited so long for was proving a great deal more resourceful then she had anticipated. Will smirked again feeling a great deal more confident in himself, he could tell that Pluto was getting frustrated at her inability to defeat him. Again she reared back and held her Garnet Orb steady, then launched a slightly less powerful version of her attack. The attack went flying with her whisper of 'Dead Scream'. Will smirked as he watched the attack a bit more prepared. However it did him little good as he somehow managed to trip over the hem of his robe as he made to dodge that ball of incoming power. With a flash and crackle of energy the attack connected and sent Will flying. The attack had hurt like his initial landing in this universe. Blinking slowly as he careened through the air Will had little luck recovering use of his proper motor skill in time to right himself before he smacked into the side of the roof. His body slowly skid down the side of the outcropping of the roof as he tried to get his mind back to the point where it could communicate properly with his body. Will looked at Pluto again as he slowly stood back up. As he recovered he could tell that while Siren had saved his ass from that initial attack she was still a bit out of it. Quickly conferring with Typhous he readied an new attack spell for Pluto. Channeling his magic into his hands he readied the spell and forcing his right hand out with the left hand steadying it he unleashed his attack with a shout.

"Lightning Strike!"

The ends of the fingers on his right hand glowed then unleashed a great volley of lightning at Pluto. The time warrior tried her best to dodge the blue-green electric attacks however she tripped on a loose rock or something and stumbled. This caused her body to connect with one of the bolts of lightning. That seemed to start a chain reaction that drew every other bolt that the attack unleashed and focus them all on her. The bolts all converged and became one and pumped innumerable volts of electricity into Sailor Pluto's body. She tried to fight the searing pain. The feeling of her body being cooked from the inside out, but eventually the force of the attack overcame her and she screamed out in pain and anguish. Will who had been greatly surprised by the power of his own attack was jolted out of his contemplative mood when he heard Sailor Pluto cry out in pain. Quickly he stopped the attack and glanced over at the slightly charred but still standing form of his opponent. Her arms hung almost lifelessly at her sides and her Time Staff hung loosely in her fingers. Will became a bit worried thinking he may have over done the attack just a bit. However when a small zap of electricity crawled across her flesh her eye flew wide and her head whipped up and stared at Will with such intensive fury that he could do nothing more than stare. Pluto was done fooling around, she was lucky that her magical armor had absorbed most of the lethal power of the attack, it was time to unleash the attack that she should have started off with. Gathering all of her power she started to initiate her most powerful attack. Will still being shocked at the power he himself had unleashed upon the Sailor of Pluto wasn't even paying enough attention to notice that she was about to attack again. Pluto spared her opponent one last glared and launched her attack again with no more warning than a whisper.

"Dark Dome Enclose."

Will shook himself from his nerveless state just in time see a huge ball of energy get ready to strike him. Before he could even lift his scythe up in some kind of feeble defense he ball of dark energy surrounded and enclosed upon him. Just as the dome closed around him he had one last thought run through his mind before the pain began.

'I am so fucking screwed.'

Pluto smiled and sunk to her knees as the dome fully enclosed around her enemy. Once again she had defended the future of Crystal Tokyo. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief she slowly began to try and rise to her feet. Her dark dome enclose was her most powerful attack and consisted of really two attacks a physical one as well as a mental one. The physical assaulted her opponent with the power of time making them age in an extremely odd fashion whether they got younger or older she wasn't exactly sure all she knew was that physical aspect tended to take care of the person's existence. The mental part however was more to keep them from being able to properly defend the physical portion. The mental consisted of showing a person their entire life and focusing in on the worst most painful parts of it. Even the parts that they may have subconsciously locked away from their own mind. Her attack was wickedly powerful and rarely if ever left anything left. Just as she got to her feet she felt the dome's power winding down and turned to see what little remained. (She was basically figuring the scythe would remain.) Her somewhat relieved feeling was instantly crushed when she saw that not only was her opponent still there, he was still standing. Will's stared out at the world with a soulless gaze, the pupils of his eyes having contracted to the point of near nonexistence. His mind could barely grasp onto any thought properly, finally he managed to regain a semblance of control. Pluto saw the life flicker back into his eyes as she stood, the flicker was weak and barely noticeable but it was there all the same. 

'Oh gods who is this guy?'

Will began to take mental assessment of himself.

'Siren Typhous you guys ok?'

[Siren here Master Yume.]

'Typhous? Typhous you there?'

All that responded to Will was a blankness. Were he in better command of his mind at this point he could have felt that Typhous was indeed still present just merely out of it from the attack they had been hit by. However seeing as he wasn't he instantly assumed the worse. Typhous had somehow been destroyed by the sailor bitches attack. Rage slowly consumed Will as it did he unconsciously forced his mantel's power into himself.

Pluto stared wide eyed with a great deal of fear, she could see the confusion on Will's now exposed face, and saw as it changed from confusion to sorrow to all encompassing anger. She watched her eyes growing even wider as Will's form began to shift. The flesh began to fall away from his body and slowly dissipated into a black mist the whipped about him as if it were alive. Slowly as the last of his flesh disappeared from his body it revealed bleached white bones. His eyeless socket looked at Pluto in such a way that she shivered in fear. She knew that after her hard fight and the launching of her final attack she was as good as dead having barely the power to stand. The scythe he held that had appeared to be made of darkness gleamed a sickly silver light as the sun reflected off its surface. She also took note that his sized had increased and he towered over her. Slowly the skeleton moved towards her taking deliberately slow steps. She backed away fearfully, she could feel it and see it, the reaper had finally come for her. All these long years of waiting to fulfill her promise to her queen and now the reaper chose to take her. She bowed her head and sent a silent prayer to the departed soul of her liege begging for her forgiveness. Just as the reaper reared its scythe back preparing to take her life her salvation appeared. A dark clothed figure with a pale white face appeared beside her, although if she hadn't been so caught up in her own incoming doom she would have noticed that the dark figure had actually jumped to the rooftop. Just as Will's hands began their descent that would end Pluto's life Michael's hand caught Will's own. Will stopped and shook his head as he regarded Michael as if just now seeing him.

"Calm down there Will, you need to come on, your ice cream is starting to melt."

Will blinked blankly at his pale faced companion. Just as he was about to raise his hand again to strike the green haired woman down he felt it. There buried in the back of his mind and barely noticeable he could feel Typhous, he seemed unconscious or something but he was there. That meant that Pluto hadn't destroyed him, that also meant that Michael had just stopped him from making a horrible mistake. Slowly his hands moved to his side and the mist around him pulled back into his form and he became flesh and blood once more and lost his even greater height returning to his usual six foot five. Michael tugged his arm and pointed in the direction of the ice cram shop.

"C'mon man that Hotaru girl is waiting for us"

Will nodded slowly then without really thinking about it teleported both himself and Michael to the ice cream shop. Pluto spared a glance back up and saw that the two black clothed figures were gone. Slowly with a shaky hand she grasped her Time Staff and opened a portal back to the Time Gates she needed to rest and think about these new events.

Hotaru smiled as Michael returned bringing a slightly dazed Will (at least that's what Michael had said his name was) behind him back to their table. A good deal of people spared the pair more than just a glance. Most of them had their eyes riveted on Will's menacing looking scythe. Will sat down on one side of Hotaru while Michael sat on the other side. Just as Will took his seat, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out face first into his slightly melted ice cream sundae. Hotaru blinked at the unusual display then turned and looked at Michael questioningly. Michael just shrugged and responded.

"Eh, at least it wasn't my ice cream."

Hotaru could only blink in response.

(TBC.)


	10. Heirs on the Run Pt I

For disclaimer see prologue.

... - thought speaking

... - Weapon speak

When things are from Will/Yume's P.O.V. all languages will appear as normal text.

Whereas with the other character's P.O.V. then the languages will look different (you'll see)

****

Chapter 08

__

Heirs on the Run

By: Master Yume & Blind Man X

The sun slowly made its way over the horizon, its light creeping across the earth bathing the planet in its own unique glow. As this sunlight was crawling up the side of a western style house the pleasant silence that had surrounded this morning is shattered. The day at the Amazon house started with a bang instead of a whimper, at least for Will and Michael who were collectively playing practice dummy to their prospective sparring partners. Will across from his wife who had recently realized that his hand-to-hand skills were non-existent.

Michael himself who figured his skills could use some polishing decided to assist in this demonstration. So while Will faced Perfume, Michael was pitted against the young Hotaru, whom Perfume (after hearing the story of how they met from Michael who was dragging a passed out and battered Will followed by a concerned Hotaru,) had decided to take the young frail girl under her wing and train her in the Amazon Wu-Su. Grace meanwhile was another practice thing for Hotaru, which Perfume would better her technique with. So as it was Perfume performed a move on Will, which Hotaru mirrored as best she could on Michael, then on Grace.

The most recent move sent Will careening over the polished wood floor of the home's dojo, and into the wall where he impacted with a meaty thud. Apparently the builder had been as untraditional with his designing of the Dojo as he had with the house itself. The walls were cement block and nearly eight inches thick according to the paperwork. So as it was even Perfume's stupendous strength was hard pressed to damage the wall with a mere throw of her husband, (a punch no problem).

Shortly after Will's intimate introduction to the wall, Michael was given a similar introduction to the floor, via Hotaru. Now It should be noted that while Will was currently stuck to the wall like a bad spitball he was upside down and facing his wife. So as gravity reasserted itself on the black robed individual he slid out of the impression he made, and his head smashed into the floor, near his fallen comrade. Will's arms were folded over his chest.

"'Get out of the basement' she says. 'Exercise is good for you she says'... And then YOU say, 'Oh WE'LL be happy to help.' What kind of weed were you smoking?!"

Michael slowly tried to pull himself upright his vision blurring from the punishment he was receiving.

"Hey it seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides how was I supposed to know that your wife was such a training nut?"

Will rolled his eyes as he began to get up. Just then as Michael was about to get up Grace flew through the air and landed unceremoniously on top of Michael, her knee connecting with a rather tender portion of his anatomy. Will smiled viciously as Michael's face contorted in pain.

"I'll get you for this Michael. Somehow I will get revenge for this torture."

Will watched as Michael twitched again.

"I'll get you and your little mascot too."

Slowly the trio stood back up and staggered their way back to the middle of the floor where the demonstration was taking place.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Will's head jerked back as if he took a punch to the face and he clutched his head in agony from the suddenly reawakened Typhous', mental scream. Suddenly the pain increased ten fold as every scene and feeling from his battle with Sailor Pluto. Perfume, Michael, and Hotaru all looked on with worried eyes as Will fell to his knees clutching his head.

"What wrong with husband?"

Michael blinked as Will began to writhe on the ground suffering silently. Hotaru acted faster than the other three occupants of the room and moved over to Will's twitching form and laid her hands on his chest, and his body stopped convulsing Perfume blinked and Michael just shrugged it off as a 'well duh' occurrence. Inside Will's own mind things were starting to calm Typhous' presence was calmed and slowly gaining its sanity back, while Will recovered from the outburst and Siren just existed there.

'Dude what was that.'

Yeah?

Will could feel Typhous trying to steady himself mentally.

My God… what happened?

'Well last I remember you being awake during the battle with Pluto right before she used that Dark Whatever attack.'

Oh yes; now it's coming back to me. I felt her gathering some potent temporal magic and tried to intervene.

'Intervene? Powerful temporal magic, what do you mean?'

Yes, temporal magic, magic dealing with time.

'Ah.'

Of course, I knew that.

Will and Typhous mentally stared at Siren who became very quiet all of a sudden.

Anyways, I tried to shield your mind from the pain the attack would cause, seeing as your body is dead and all so any damage would be negligible, and took a secondary part of it that I hadn't anticipated.

'Okay I know I'm probably going to regret this, but what was the secondary part of the attack?'

It seems that it's a physical as well as a mental attack, while your were being assaulted by the physical aspect, I got the mental part.

So what happened?

Basically it forced me to relived through all of my worst memories. I guess I went into shock, and just woke up now.

'So everything's kosher now?'

Basically.

Before Will could answer both himself and Typhous stiffened as they felt something.

'What the hell was that?'

Huh?

'There's something wrong?'

It feels like a siphon of some sort. Like there's something channeling magic, but it is off there's something holding it back. That seems to affecting the focal object adversely, in a negative manner?

'Is that what that is?'

What's that mean?

'It means if I am guessing correctly, that something is using magic but the way it's being done is hurting whatever's using the magic. Right?'

Close enough.

With that Will returned to the outside world and saw Hotaru kneeling over him with her hands glowing, while Michael, Perfume and a bleary eyed Grace hovering above her. As he focused more intently on Hotaru Will suddenly heard Typhous's voice.

There, that's it, it's her, she's the siphon.

'Hotaru?'

Yeah that healing power it's hurting her. She's trying to channel magic but she's doing it all wrong. However she's doing it it's detracting from her life force. All this trouble and she's trying to heal a dead guy, kind of stupid when you think about it

Will slowly grasped Hotaru's smaller hands and held them both in his one.

"Thanks."

Hotaru nodded and hung her head. While Perfume was clueless as to why this girl seemed to suddenly go from worried to frightened, shamed, and scared, with just her husband waking up. Will, and possibly Michael, however knew better, Hotaru was afraid they would reject her because of her odd powers. Will just smiled as warmly as he could (but with his paling skin and sinister appearance it didn't help much) and sat up.

"Don't worry Hotaru we aren't going to hate you."

Hotaru shook her head violently and began to cry. Will tried to rub his hand on her back in a soothing manner, but it wasn't helping much at all, however Perfume quickly stepped in and cradled the now crying girl to herself in a very motherly gesture. Will slowly climbed to his feet while Perfume sunk to the ground to better hold the crying girl.

"Dude Will what just happened there?"

"I'll tell you later."

Hotaru was quickly calming under Perfume's mindful attention. Will smiled and thanked the Almighty that he had beaten her and that she had chosen to stay with him. He held no delusion that he could have handled the situation as well as she was currently. Perfume now hugged the hiccupping young girl to her bosom and whispered soothing words to her.

"Hotaru don't worry about your powers, they don't make us think you're a freak."

Hotaru's head shot up at Michael's words and she stared intently at Will and Michael. Will merely conjured some magical blue-green fire and made it float over his hand. Michael produced several things from seemingly nowhere and began to juggle them with great ease. Hotaru stopped sniffling and turned to look at Perfume who just shrugged not really having any strange power but not really minding them either.

The girl turned to the multi-colored haired girl near herself and Perfume. The girl shrugged and waved her hand dramatically over her head then as she brought it down her form shifted, and shrunk till she was a multi-tailed fox, a little bigger than a dog. Perfume's eyes bulged at this new bit of information, and Will just nodded having expected something like that. Michael chose this time to pipe in.

"Yeah I mean look at Will here, he's a big ugly brute with little or no social skills and a couple of voi…"

Michael was unable to finish his statement due to Will's elbow being sunk into his stomach.

"Yeah most of us here are weird don't worry about that little healing power of yours."

The look that Hotaru cast the gathered group of odd people was bright enough to light Las Vegas for a day. She was smiling so happily and cutely that Will was beginning to feel sick due to the sheer amount of cuteness rays she was projecting. Quickly to avoid any mortally wounding ones Will donned his hood. Sighing in relief Will took the time to look at his watch.

"Oh damn!"

"What's wrong Will?"

Will looked at Michael, and pointed to his watch as he spoke.

"It's almost time for school, you need to get going and I need to get Hotaru home so she can get changed and stuff."

Michael looked at his own watched and boggled he really was late and he still needed to get his class schedule. Faster than most people could have seen Michael bolted into the house to his and Grace's room so he could shower and get ready. Grace followed behind him slowly returning to her cursed form, Will could tell that Grace was definitely not a noonday person. Perfume fixed her tall husband with a look and shooed Hotaru in his direction.

"You go now Husband get you to school."

Will nodded and Perfume left him and Hotaru to get going, she heard the bathtub calling to her. Will turned to his young companion and smiled, though the gesture was lost on her because his hood was up and obscured his features.

"Okay Hotaru we need to get you home so you can change, and we need to discuss a few things."

With that Hotaru nodded and put her small hand into Will's outstretched larger one. Will cast the spell necessary to teleport, himself and Hotaru to an alley near her house. In a flash of darkness and a puff of smoke both Hotaru and Will disappeared from the dojo. A second later Michael ran back into the dojo and bit back a curse.

"Shoot I was hoping to get a lift to school from him."

A moment later they reappeared outside of Hotaru's house in an alley across the street. Or at least what had been her house. The building that little Hotaru had grown up in now lay in ruins with various odd colored smokes pouring from the rubble. Hotaru stared with wide eyes at what had once been the house where she grew up. Quickly she tried to rush over to the smoking remains of the house to see if her parents were alright, but as she reached the halfway point in the street Will's rather large meaty hand came down and locked on her shoulder in a vice-like grip that wouldn't let Hotaru budge.

"Please let me go I have to see if my parents are ok."

He could only respond by slowly shaking his head and pulling her further from the scene. Hotaru struggled as best as she could but she was no match against Will's size and strength advantage. Soon she just began to collapse on herself and she began to cry. She cried for the loss of her family, the loss of her home and her inability to do anything. A Police officer approached Will and spoke with him as he pulled Hotaru closer where she wrapped her small arms around his waist and cried into the volumes of his cloak.

"What happened here officer?"

"There was some kind of explosion at about 2:30 this morning, we think it was from a chemical mixture that the owner of the house had been working on. At least that's what the initial reports are pointing to."

'Well that and the weird smoke.'

"We also have it on good authority that the Tomoe's daughter, A Ms. Hotaru, was visiting a friend's house at the time."

Will nodded silently as he looked down at the crying girl he now held.

"Were there any survivors?"

Hotaru's head perked up minutely and Will felt sorry for what she was about to hear.

"That has yet to be determined, we finished putting the flames out. But from the severity of the explosion and the damage observed it would be a miracle if we found any."

Hotaru's head sunk deeper into the volumes of Will's cloak as She resumed crying. If Will didn't know any better he would swear that Hotaru was trying to get herself absorbed into the fabric.

"What's going to happen to Hotaru?"

"Well when we find the girl we will bring her into custody and more than likely place her in a foster home or into an orphanage."

Will's eyes widened at that prospect. He had to think fast, luckily enough he had two minds to think with at once. (Well almost.) Between himself and Typhous they managed to come of with a spell that would affect the officer. Quickly casting it while he knew that he and the officer were alone He prepared to do something he hadn't initially intended.

'I hope this works.'

"That will not be necessary officer."

Slowly the officer's eyes went blank and he slowly began to repeat what Will had said.

"It will not be necessary."

"I am a recently made friend of the Tomoe's, my wife and I will take care of little Hotaru."

"You will take care of Hotaru."

'Close enough.'

"You will see to it that all the appropriate paperwork is filled out and filed."

"I'll see to the paperwork."

With that the officer moved away a bit woodenly slowly gaining a more normal appearing gait. Will gently held the now softly crying girl closely.

'Shit I was hoping that this might not happen. At least no so soon.'

Already Will knew that this is the point where Pharaoh 90 would make a deal with Hotaru's father Professor Souichi Tomoe to save the critically injured Hotaru. However there would be some changes and Will for one was not about to welcome them. If Hotaru was never injured then there was the slim possibility that Pharaoh 90 would never come to this plane. Will doubted it quite a bit. If he remembered correctly, Souichi's wife and Hotaru's mother, Keiko had died in the same explosion. Now as Will held the now quietly crying Hotaru he couldn't help by glare at the rubble. More than likely Hotaru's mother would be used to house Mistress 9, and if that were the case then the sailor scouts and possibly Will himself would have to face her and probably destroy her to stop the silence from descending on the world.

'Shit.'

With that Will cradled the sobbing Hotaru to his body and teleported the both of them back to the house.

Reappearing outside of his and Perfume's room he carried the girl in. Trying to be a gentle and supportive as possible Will sat down onto the rather large bed in the master suite of the house and held the rapidly tiring Hotaru. It seemed that the girls frail constitution wasn't up to the workout and the emotional distress she had just been put through and very soon she was sleeping. As Will slowly laid the sleeping girl onto the bed Perfume walked into the room.

"Ayah! What are you doing ho..?"

Her further exclamations were cut short as Will seemed to move faster than light to put his hand over her mouth silencing her. Motioning with his left hand for quiet he slowly released his hand from her mouth.

"What do you mean that I have to be…?"

Again Will's hand clamped over her mouth and when Perfume tried to pull his hand away she found that his grip was like iron, and he wasn't budging even under her impressive strength. Then in a surprising feat of his own strength Will lifted Perfume up and supported the rest of her weight with his other hand (the one not covering her mouth) and carried her from the room shutting the door behind himself. Perfume blinked a bit confusedly as she tired to process her husband's apparent strength gain. After carrying her down to the ground floor and into the dining room Will finally released her and took his hand from her mouth. Perfume took a moment to rub her jaw and glare at her husband.

"What is the meaning of this Will?"

Will sat down quite heavily into one of the chairs and scrubbed his hand over his face suddenly looking a great deal older. Perfume looked at him oddly and sat down in the seat next to him.

"What's wrong Husband?"

Will looked at her and smiled in a most disturbing manner. One that just screamed foreboding.

"How would you like to have a child?"

Perfume flinched back and blinked as she replayed what Will had just said in her own mind. As far as she could remember it was a woman's department to let the husband know when she was with child.

"What are you talking about Will?"

Will looked at her and sighed.

"It's Hotaru, her family…. They're dead. I managed to convince the police that we will be taking care of her."

Perfume blinked and then slowly put her hands onto Will's. Will looked up at her a bit surprised she merely smiled at him.

This is a most unexpected development.

Master Yume is a daddy.

'Would you two shut up?'

---------

Michael looked up at the looming gates of Furiukan High. He could already see the amassed Hentai Horde. Walking slowly so as to not attract too much attention, (which was kind of lost by the fact that he had tanned skin and was wearing a great deal of black.) Michael slowly approached the school. As soon as he stepped through the gates though he was spotted.

"Hey look it's a new guy."

"I bet he's here to challenge Akane for her hand."

"We don't need any more competition. LET'S GET HIM."

With that the horde raised their various weapons and charged. Michael blinked as the group of male hormones attacked. The fastest of the group reached him and he reacted on his first instinct.

"PIE TO THE FACE!"

With that the first wave of attackers fell in a cloud of cream filled desserts. The ones behind them stopped and stared at their fallen comrades, then back to the new opponent. Michael glared back at them and held a banana-cream pie at ready looking quite menacing despite his choice of weaponry.

"We out number him at least ten to one."

One of the more intelligent people of the bunch spoke up.

"Hey yeah he's right we can take him."

With that thought resounding through the group's minds they attacked. Again cream based desserts soared and weaker members of the horde fell. Michael however had to dodge a great deal more than he had thought he would, given his current situation. Back-flipping over a hockey player's stick he slammed the guys face into the ground using a pie to cushion the blow.

A sumo wrestler tried to get the drop on him and pull him into a bear hug but got a warm apple pie to the face and a kick to the shin which set him off balance and made him fall backwards coincidentally taking out a few of his fellow horde members with him. Kendo players, soccer guys, karate students all fell before the bizarre onslaught. Soon all that was left standing was Michael himself. Looking about himself from the cream and various other pie fillings covered remains of his opponents to the rather confused looks on some of the onlookers faces, to the enraged face of the youngest Tendo daughter, to the… Quickly looking back he was indeed staring at the rather angry visage of one Akane Tendo.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Well they attacked me so I…"

"So you thought you would help me out did you?"

"Uh no I was just…"

"Taking care of them so you could take me huh?"

Michael was slowly backing away towards the school while Akane stalked towards him.

"But."

"Well I won't take that, I'm a martial artist too."

"I'm sure…"

"YAHHH!!"

Michael's eyes bugged as Akane charged him thinking as quickly as he could he did the first thing that came to mind, he jumped over her. Akane's head twisted and swiveled so she could follow his movements only to leave her running not watching where she was going. So she ran into a certain delusional kendo fighter that virtually ruled the student body.

"Ah at last my fierce tigress you finally flock to my outstretched arms."

Akane blinked as she was suddenly enveloped in a very unwelcome embrace. Her hand acted without a moment's hesitation and punched Tatewaki Kuno dead in the face. Michael blinked at the rather odd sound that Kuno's face made as Akane's fist drove into it.

'I didn't know that faces made SMOOSH sounds.'

The kendoist's grip loosened slightly and Akane darted away from him. Michael again tried to edge a bit closer to the school and away from the resident nuts, but unfortunately Kuno spotted him.

"Hold knave were you the one who just interrupted the courtship of the fierce tigress Akane Tendo."

"Well not…"

"But is it not customary for one to introduce oneself first."

"I know who you are, you're Tatewaki Kuno I live in the house a little ways from yours."

"It seems that the Blue Thunder's mighty reputation proceeds him."

"Uh yeah."

"But neighbor or not I cannot allow this offense to go unpunished."

With that Kuno raised his bokken from… somewhere and charged. Michael didn't react till almost the last minute in which he stepped to the side, tripped Kuno, and somehow grabbed the waistband of his undergarment and pulled. This effectively gave Kuno a rather uncomfortable wedgie. Kuno spun around and glared at Michael, while the rest of the student body stared in shock and disbelief. Kuno shook with barely suppressed rage (or trying to discretely reposition his underwear) and attacked again.

"I strike."

The bokken flashed out and repeatedly tried to strike the Trickster Heir who just miraculously dodged the attacks then launched himself into the air over Kuno's head. There he proceeded to re-grip the elastic band of Kuno's underwear and pull even harder than before. Nabiki's eyes widened when she heard that the new kid lived near Kuno, she could have sworn that All Kuno's neighbors were rather old Tokyo money whose kids had moved away or were having kids of their own.

'But then again there's Will and his wife… But he's too old to be their kid.'

Kuno could now be seen noticeably trying to adjust his underwear, much to the displeasure of the majority of the audience.

"So you choose to employ black magic to aid you?"

"Well no not…"

"It will be for naught I shall smite you with my mighty sword of truth, then the fierce tigress will again flock to my manly embrace."

Kuno either ignored or didn't hear the dismissive snort from somewhere behind him. Again Kuno charged but Michael's watch beeped signifying that it was less than three minutes to the start of school.

'I better end this fast.'

Time seemed to slow down for Michael as watched Kuno approach reaching into his dimensional pocket he grabbed one of his mightiest weapons and when Kuno was in range he struck with a mighty war-cry.

"EXPLODING PIE TO THE FACE!"

With that Kuno ran headlong into the demolition based dessert and was blasted back by the force of the explosion then before most people could blink Michael materialized behind Kuno and gripped his waistband again and heaved mightily and in an almost physics defying act Michael pulled the waistband of Kuno's underwear up and over his head effectively blinding the delusional fighter. Kuno stunned and disoriented fell back and smacked his head into a wall and knocked himself off. As everyone else stared at the now incapacitated Kendo team leader, Michael made his way into the school and to the office where he would get his class schedule. So it seemed that Michael was just starting another normal Nermian day in Furikan High.

---------

Will sighed as he continued on his way. Perfume had suggested that they walk the neighborhood for recon/a way to pass the time. Hotaru was still asleep mainly due to a sleep spell that Will had cast on her before he left. So now the day found a rather miserable looking Will clothed in his customary (as of now) black cloak with his scythe strapped to his back the blade hanging slightly over one shoulder. Beside him walked Perfume with her arm linked with his. She wore a rather new ensemble her clothes consisted of a purple tank top (that matched her eyes), a pair of tight faded jeans, a few things that Will as husband was privy to, and a pair of black sandals.

Over all it was an exotic babe, walking with a tall creepy pale looking guy with a large deadly weapon strapped to his back. Right now it was still relatively early so many of the shops were just opening for the day and a few stragglers were still making their way to school. This fact was sadly proven to Will as was run into by a blonde blur.

"OHMYGOSHI'MSOSORRYIGOTTOGOBYE!"

Said blonde blur stood back up and took off in a cloud of dust with her twin pig-tails flapping in the breeze. Will merely stared up to the sky as Perfume looked down at him and blinked.

"What on earth was that?"

Will slowly stood up and dusted himself off.

"Don't worry about it. But can we go home now?"

"No we still have more recon to do."

Will bowed his head and decided to continue walking about town in favor of giving her the chance to come up with more training. So as he continued walking Perfume re-attached herself to his arm. And so the odd looking couple walked on and were about to turn a corner when Will managed to bump into someone else. Looking up he was greeted by a really short young man being helped up by a fair looking woman whole generated so much gentleness it made Will feel considerably nauseous.

"Oh my goodness Keiichi are you alright?"

The boy identified as Keiichi nodded his head and accepted the gentle girls help to standing back up.

"Perfume sorry for husband's clumsiness."

The girl turned and regarded Will and his wife and instantly revealed to Will that she was indeed Belldandy Norse goddess of the present.

'Great more surprise cameos.'

Is it that bad?

'Now is not a good time Typhous.'

Will stood up and towered collectively over the goddess the warrior and the mechanic.

"Oh my do I know you sir?"

Will suddenly developed a great deal of sweat, as Belldandy looked him over closely. He could reflexively feel Perfume bristling next to him and did not relish her reaction.

"You mean you know this guy Belldandy?"

"I think I do Keiichi, I recognize that cloak and the handle of that weapon he's carrying."

It was at this point that Keiichi saw the rather nasty looking weapon that Will had strapped to his back. Will watched the sweat form on the guy's forehead as he looked over the weapon. Will could guess what might be going through Keiichi's mind but decided it best to take actions as they came as opposed to predicting someone's actions.

"Come on Bell if we don't hurry we might be late."

"But Keiichi I just know I recognize those things."

Perfume was getting a bit miffed at the scrutiny that this odd woman was currently displaying towards her husband. Luckily for her and Will, Keiichi's insistence was enough to sway Belldandy. So saying she and the short guy bid the pair a farewell and the two groups went their separate ways much to both Keiichi's and Will's relief. So as it was Will and his wife Perfume continued on their way.

Unfortunately for Will his graceful exit was impeded when his robe caught on a loose nail on a nearby fence causing him to trip rather hard. Fortunately (or unfortunately) his fall was cushioned by something. But what ever it was that cushioned his fall made an odd sound a lot like a woman screaming or at least gasping in surprise. Slowly looking up he was confronted by the sight of a rather dignified and still quite interesting looking woman with bright red hair wearing a formal kimono and carrying a cloth wrapped bundle at her side.

'Shit Nodoka Saotome, Jeez who else will I run into today?'

"Oh I'm terribly sorry ma'am."

Nodoka looked up at the young man that was currently getting up from his position where he fell on her. He promptly offered her his hand to help her get back to her feet. Perfume had made her way back and was now standing next to her husband as he helped the older woman up.

"Perfume so sorry for too too clumsy husband."

So saying she promptly whapped Will upside his head, after he finished helping Mrs. Saotome up.

"Oh no need to worry dear. I'm sure it was nothing more than an accident."

Perfume just gave Will a sideways glance. Nodoka was now able to look at Will standing his full height and was quite surprised to find that he was a gaijin (or at least he looked like one) as was his wife. While her accent was obvious the taller man's accent was barely distinguishable almost like he had been speaking the language all his life.

"My for a foreigner you certainly speak Japanese quite well."

Will assumed the generic pose of supposed modesty with his left hand scratching behind his head. Perfume just looked oddly at her husband.

"I had extensive training from my employer."

"Oh my I have forgotten my manners, my name is Nodoka Saotome."

"My name is Will and this is my wife Perfume of the Amazons."

Nodoka gave him an odd look.

"Have you no last name?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I tend to introduce myself without using my last name, it allows me to be a bit more personal with acquaintances."

"Ah a western tradition no doubt."

"Yes."

"So what is your last name?"

"My last name? …. Oh of course, it's…. Kokushibyou."

Nodoka stepped back a bit startled at the name.

"Um were you aware that your name means 'Black Death'?"

Will nodded as Perfume looked slightly confused.

"Yes I was quite aware of that Mrs. Saotome."

Mrs. Saotome gave the boy another once over.

"I'm not sure why but the name really suits you."

She's doesn't know the half of it.

'Quiet you.'

What about..

'You too.'

Will put on his best smile and nodded to Perfume then wrapped his arm around her.

"Well Mrs. Saotome if you will excuse us we must be moving along."

The maternal figure in Ranma's life smiled and nodded giving the couple a bow, which Will returned (in turn making his wife do the same).

"It was a pleasure speaking with you perhaps we can get together sometime in the future."

"Yes that would be very nice."

"Oh yes it be too too nice."

Perfume was practically growling out her response because Will had unwittingly stepped on her foot with one of his rather massive feet. So Will unknowing of the danger he was in was caught completely off guard when Perfume knocked his head into the wall he was next to, as soon as Mrs. Saotome was out of sight. Will pulled his head from the indent it made in the wall and looked at Perfume confused.

"What I do?"

"If you don't know then I won't tell you."

With that Perfume turned around and walked away favoring her right foot. Will merely scratched his head and shrugged.

'I'll never understand women.'

Don't worry about it; it's not our place to have such knowledge.

I don't get them either.

Both Will and Typhous mentally stared at Siren (like they seemed to do a lot anymore). Then shook it off, as just one of those things, which just were in regards to Siren. Quickly enough Will followed behind his rather angry wife. It was a good thing that with himself being dead and all he didn't really need sleep, so he wouldn't have to worry about 'sleeping on the couch' if things deteriorated further, he would just stay in the lab/base/basement for a while. But just as to not arouse suspicion he thought it best (well Typhous thought actually) to grovel for forgiveness later.

---------

Michael sighed as the day progressed so far things had been going well enough, there had been no problem with the office and his need of a slightly modified schedule, due to certain 'unforeseen circumstances'. As it was he was about to go into his fourth period and for him the last period of the day. So as it was the teacher entered the room and situated himself at the desk, then motioned Michael up to the front of the room. Michael did so under the watchful eyes of his fellow classmates. After conversing with the teacher for a moment Mike moved behind the teacher as he stood and spoke.

"Okay class, due to several odd circumstances Michael here will be the teaching assistant for you English class for the remainder of the year. His knowledge of English should be beneficial to you all."

Michael bowed to the teacher who proceeded to move to the back of the room to observe Michael's performance.

"Hello, I'm here to help you all understand English better."

So saying he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out three golden balls. A mere flick of the wrist later said balls were airborne and being juggled by Mike's left hand.

"Now students as you all can plainly see I'm currently juggling three balls. Can you say that Three balls?"

The class responded slowly as they tested the word themselves.

"Three balls"

While some students had a bit of trouble properly annunciating the 'l' sound a great deal of them spoke the word correctly. Mike had to smile at this.

"Very good class."

He tossed a banana into the mix and didn't break his rhythm.

"Now you all saw the banana. Can you say that? Banana?"

Again the class repeated him as he pulled the banana from his juggling and proceeded to peel it using his mouth and right hand. All the while still juggling the balls with ease. After the banana was peeled he began to eat half while tossing the other half to the teacher in the back of the room.

"Now we can see the teacher eating the banana, can you say that? He eats a banana."

Again the class repeated him with relative ease. So far he had been doing relatively well although he could see Akane glowering mightily at him. This managed to distract him momentarily so he had to drop the banana peel in order to keep himself from dropping the balls. Some of the students paid close attention to Michael, but most of them were watching the banana peel.

"Now then class I hope in the future to bring a few choice volunteers up to assist me in a lesson."

At this point Michael took a step forward and hit the banana peel. For a second everything froze but then gravity and a few other things stepped in. Wind milling his arms to regain his balance but to no avail. All the flailing of his arms did was redirect him so that he was falling forward. The balls flew free of his control and he fell flat on his face with a loud thud. The impact was like a pro baseball player hitting a slow ball and Michael's head was the ball while the floor was the bat. At this point the teacher spoke up.

"Class let that be a lesson to all of you not to eat in class."

There was a collective nod from the class as they tracked the flight path of the two now falling balls. Said balls came down right on top of Michael's head just as he was getting back to his feet thus planting his face back into the floor. There was a class wide blink as one of the more prestigious math students did a small calculation in his head.

"Hey that was only two balls he was juggling three."

The entire class proceeded to collectively look up as if to check that gravity hadn't suddenly developed a loophole of some sort only to hear a rather loud metallic clang that emanated from the middle of the classroom. The class all swiveled their heads and looked to see Akane passed out with a rather nasty looking bump on her head and the third ball in question rolling away from her desk and towards Michael. Right after Michael recovered the ball the bell signifying the end of class. And with no more preambles necessary Michael bolted from the scene. It was quite a while later that Akane managed to regain consciousness.

'What hit me?'

Michael walked away from the school about 1:24 in the afternoon. The day had gone remarkably well. All that was left was to go back to the house and rest up. Ranma should have been arriving soon so the two of them had to get ready. However just as he reached the gates a voice called out to him and made him stop.

"Michael?"

Michael stopped and turned around, there coming out of the school was one of the students from his class or at least one of them.

"Hi Michael I'm sure you don't know me but I'm the representative of our class to the faculty. It's my job to organize our class projects, fundraisers and such in conjunction with the other class reps."

Michael nodded then raised an eyebrow in thought.

"So you're like a class president or something ok. So what do you need with me?"

"Well there is going to be a school carnival and I was wondering if you could possibly lend some of your obviously unique talents."

Michael seemed to sink deep into thought then he turned back to the young girl before him.

"I think I can come up with something. I might even be able to get someone else who's talented to help. When's the carnival?"

"On Wednesday night."

"I'll be there."

With that the class rep left. And Michael resumed his trek to the place he was currently living.

'Oh I think there will be a real fun time at the old carnival tonight.'

With that Michael's step picked up only for him to stop short a bit later.

'Well Wednesday night.'

So he returned to walking home.

(TBC)

Well here's the first half of chapter 08 I wrote it all together but it was too long to post as one chapter (in my opinion at least) plus it gives me a bit more reason to slack off. MWA HAHAHAHA.


	11. Heirs on the Rune Pt II

For disclaimer see prologue.

... - thought speaking

... - Weapon speak

When things are from Will/Yume's P.O.V. all languages will appear as normal text.

Whereas with the other character's P.O.V. then the languages will look different (you'll see)

****

Chapter 08 Part II

__

Heirs on the Run

By: Master Yume & Blind Man X

Will sat in the recesses of the basement and cast a critical eye towards his scythe. For the past hour and a half he had been thinking about and conversing with his weapon. What was it that made it so special aside from its ability to kill most living things if the proper energy was channeled into it (having found this out shortly after the dead grass incident out in the front yard)? Now he (and by association Typhous) were thinking about what else it could do.

Under a moment of odd inspiration Will reached into the volumes of his cloak and pulled out the rather odd weapon he had retrieved from Typhous' old haunts. The spear looked much different in the mostly well-lit basement. The handle was a mixture of ebony and silver material, the ribbon that had wrapped around his foot was a deep green, the blade of the weapon was like it was made of the water from the deepest parts of the ocean a deep blue with a hint of green.

'That's weird if anything I'd figure it would have been white.'

Well your blade was black initially wasn't it?

'Well yeah.'

Perhaps the colors were altered from the initial silver overtone and due to the souls that inhabited it for so long after my death.

Will merely shrugged, then put the spear-like weapon back into the volumes of his cloak having got no reaction from the weapon. After that was finished he picked back up his weapon and held it in one hand.

Master, have you found anything about Siren yet?

'Not really, other than your color scheme is better than your counter parts.'

Then there was a zap noise and the smell of burnt chicken suddenly filled the room.

'Wonder what that was.'

Will suddenly was struck as though the zap he had heard was a lightning bolt in a brainstorm of his. Holding his scythe with both hands he concentrated and sent a mental image to Siren.

'Can you try and be that?'

There was a moment of nothing happening then suddenly he could fell the weapon shift within his grasp there was a brief flash then he looked back at his weapon and smiled. The scythe had changed and was now a rather large broadsword the blade had maintained its dark quality and the hilt was of the same dark wood as the scythe handle.

Interesting.

'Yeah and it's pretty cool too.'

Then Will imagined something a bit more complex and again felt the shift of the weapon as it reformed itself to the image Will had sent to Siren. Then the flash happened again and in his hand Will held an electric guitar in his hand. He gave it an experimental strum and was surprised at the quality sound that came out.

'Very nice.'

Master likes?

'Very much.'

That could prove quite useful in a fight. Even more so if we can cut down the transforming time.

'Yeah.'

Will wasn't even really paying attention to Typhous at this point he was mostly concentrating on the black guitar he held playing a few chords on it he felt some of his old guitar lesson come back to him. Quickly as the notes came back to him he play the riff from Deep Purple's _Smoke on the Water_. As soon as he finished the last note there was a rather faint knocking coming from the door. Holding the guitar by the neck he walked over and opened the door to reveal a rather charred and twitching Michael on the floor.

"Michael did you try to open the door again without knocking?"

"Maybe."

Will nodded and rolled his eyes as he grabbed Michael's arm and pulled him into the room before shutting the door. Sitting the charred form of his companion down by the couch (having no real want of picking him up and getting him on the couch) he proceeded to lounge on the black leather couch as he waited for Michael to recover his ability to properly speak. He didn't have to wait long and the trickster heir soon took a seat in the workbench chair.

"Nice guitar Will. You buy it?"

"Nope."

Will tried to play a bit of a song from memory nodding for Michael to speak.

"So where'd you get it?"

Will sighed and decided to practice later and willed Siren to change back to her initial form, causing Mike to stare wide eyed and gape for a minute. This gave Will enough time to slip the weapon into its place on his back.

"Dude that's so cool how'd you do that?"

"Magic."

Michael stopped and stared at Will incredulously.

"Well duh, but how did you do it?"

"I willed my rune weapon to change into a guitar."

Mike smiled and withdrew his own rune weapon from wherever he kept it and began to concentrate. Will sat back to get comfortable figuring it may take a while, but was rather surprised when Michael's sword began to twist and shift almost as if it were a liquid metal. Eventually the quicksilver solidified into a vaguely guitar-ish shape. Mike opened his eyes and grinned quite pleased with himself. Will felt it best not to burst his bubble and tell him that it was missing strings and probably a good many more components.

"How about that for a first try huh? I bet you were down here all day working to get it, and I got it on my first try."

Then Will changed his mind.

"It would be a good effort if it had strings and could actually work."

Mike paused in his gloating and took note of the discrepancies that Will pointed out and let his shoulders slump. But quickly perked right back up.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"You're going to help me at the school's carnival on Wednesday."

"I am?"

"Yeah I figure you could do a magic show or something and I could do a balloon booth."

"Since when am I doing this?"

"Since I signed you up after I left school today."

Will stopped and stared at Michael long and hard with one of his more unnerving looks. Mike however chose to ignore the look.

"C'mon Will I already told them I was getting your help."

Will slumped back onto the couch and laid with his leg over the arm of it.

"You got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

Will sighs and sinks further into the plush leather sofa and quietly mutters to himself about how he knows he will regret this.

"Alright I'll help I'll whip up something for it. But you owe me."

Mike waves his hands in a dismissive gesture. Suddenly Will's highly sophisticated warning system let him know of an approaching danger, which gave him a rather wicked idea.

"Oh MY GOD, MIKE BEHIND YOU! A CONVENIENTLY PLACED DISTRACTION!"

Mike quickly turned and looked where Will pointed not really hearing what he said just detecting the measure of panic in his voice.

"WHAT? WHERE?"

"Quick it went up the stairs, after it. I'll be along as soon as I can."

Michael nodded and rushed from the room and up the stairs. Shortly after the door shut completely Will withdrew a small hand mirror from his cloak and willed the spell on it to activate. The smooth glass shimmered and then revealed the scene at the top of the stairs. Just as he thought Grace and Perfume were there getting ready to go down the stairs, both having that rather disturbing 'Shopping-gleam" in their eyes. And there was Michael bursting out of the stairwell and getting ambushed by the girls in need of a human shopping cart.

'Heh heh heh, I'm so evil sometimes.'

That was cruel even for you.

Will merely shrugged, returned the mirror back into his cloak and began to leave the basement knowing the coast was clear.

'I guess I should check on Hotaru.'

With that in mind Will ascended the stairs, taking his dear sweet time. Eventually after a bit of time and a great deal many stairs later he reached Perfume and his room. Which is where he had left Hotaru to sleep. Slowly opening the door he peaked into the room. There sitting up in the bed staring back at him was Hotaru. Seeing her awake caused will to abandon caution and push the door open fully so he could step into the room.

"Sleep well?"

Hotaru apparently not trusting her own voice merely nodded. As Will moved closer he noticed the telltale puffiness around her eyes that indicated she had been crying. Will sat on the side of the rather large four-poster bed, causing Hotaru to bounce a bit. Slowly Hotaru turned and regarded her friend now guardian. Then in a voice barely above a whisper she spoke.

"It wasn't a dream, was it? My… My parents really are gone aren't they?"

Will didn't speak. He merely nodded his head gravely, and desperately wished that Perfume was there with them, she was better …. equipped to handle emotional things like this. Hotaru hung her head slowly and began to cry silently, causing Will no end of grief in his own right. Tentatively he reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled Hotaru close. Moments after he had embraced her she began to sob uncontrollably. Will, who could easily end a life; that could do things that defied the normal laws of physics who may one day wield the greatest power in the universe second only to that of God almighty himself, was completely and totally powerless. So he merely held the small frail girl and soothingly rubbed her back trying to comfort her as best he could. After an almost immeasurable amount of time (at least from Will's perspective) Hotaru clamed down. And took to looking up at Will through red puffy eyes. Will looked back at her and noticed that she had a questioning look in her eye.

"Hmm?"

Hotaru started and then looked away from Will only to look back.

"So were you serious about becoming my new father?"

"Oh absolutely. That is if you're ok with it."

Hotaru smiled a bit and nodded, then began to look a bit troubled again.

"Um this morning before …."

Again Hotaru trailed off into body wracking sobs. Yume being who he was before his 'rebirth' could have handled the situation better, but the new Will he was seemed to have a problem with emotions. Will could almost feel the emotions seeping away from him. He guessed it had to do with the face that 'Death' was a non-partial entity so had little use for most emotions. This however was not a good time for a lack of emotions.

That may not be a bad idea.

'Come again?'

We could use a spell to calm the effects that her grief is causing her, but if something happens in the near future that really shakes her there's a chance that the grief that we calm will return and compound on itself along with whatever grief that she experiences from the catalyst event.

Hotaru still hadn't calmed down so she didn't see the thin line of drool escaping her newly appointed father's mouth.

Spell makes Hotaru feel better.

'Why didn't you say so?'

Typhous could only sigh, and then proceeded to explain to Will just how to perform the spell. Slowly and quietly Will casts the spell over the small girl in his arms. As it took effect he could almost feel the sorrow and grief leave Hotaru. Very soon her shuddering sobs lessened then stopped entirely. She looked up at Will a small look of question in her eyes.

"So what were you saying?"

"This morning you were going to tell me something."

"Mm-hmm?"

Will stopped and thought for a moment and then remembered.

"Oh yeah I wanted to talk to you about your little gift."

Hotaru looked away again but answered Will nevertheless.

"What about it?"

"Well you know I can do magic right?"

Hotaru nodded glancing back at Will.

"Well if I'm not wrong, I think that you could use magic too. In fact I'm almost sure of it"

Startled Hotaru turned and looked at him with wide questioning eyes.

"If I'm right your little healing ability is actually a use of magic, except that you're doing it all wrong. Because of that it's affecting your health and making you weaker."

"So I can use magic?"

Will nodded. Hotaru looked away a bit then turned back and gained a bit of courage.

"Would … would you teach me how to do magic?"

Will smirked and nodded.

"I think I can arrange that."

The little girl that was sitting in his lap smiled and let off cute rays in such high intensity that Will began to feel weak and queasy. The meeting (as it were) was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing and echoing through out the house. Will and Hotaru glanced at each other and got up. Will easily lifting Hotaru's petite form and depositing her on her feet at ground level.

"We'll discuss this a bit more later, now then lets see who's at the door."

Hotaru nodded and followed Will out of the room and down the stairs towards the front door. Will unlocked the front door and walked outside. Together both him and Hotaru approached the gate where their visitors waited. Suddenly at the last instance, before they reached the gate, Will stopped and grabbed Hotaru and turned her around so that he was between her and the front gate, just before it erupted in a rather fiery explosion. Will glanced over his shoulder from the confines of his hood and saw something that really made him think that Loki may have had a good deal more to do with his current universe than he was initially led to believe. There standing with rather sheepish expressions, on the opposite side of a smoking cater, as a group that Yume had definitely not anticipated on seeing.

A slightly older gentleman with white hair, sporting a moustache and a goatee, dressed in a rather odd black uniform. Next to him was a considerably younger girl with bright eyes, blonde hair, and rather pointy cat-like ears holding a rather large and bulky gun behind her trying vainly to appear innocent. The older man was staring wide eyed at where the door had once stood. Yume recognized them almost instantly; they were none other than Theodore and Brianna Diggers.

"Um… Sorry?"

Will sighed and released his protective hold from Hotaru, as he stood up and brushed the debris from his form. Hotaru looked wide-eyed at the crater then to the girl with the BAG (Big Ass Gun) and just blinked.

"Well I would say 'Let me get the door' but it seems you've taken care of it."

Theodore reacted rather quickly and shook himself from his daze (and the subsequent layer of dirt the explosion gave him). Quickly he cast a spell that should have re-assembled the destroyed door, however this wasn't a normal door. The pre-enchanted (though Theodore didn't know this) fragments that should have drawn back together merely lie at the bottom of the no longer smoking crater. As Mr. Diggers puzzled a bit over this development Will walked up and snapped his fingers. As soon as he did that the door and the surrounding area returned to normal. As he opened the newly restored door he smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

Theodore recovered first and stared oddly at the black robed figure that was Will.

"Yes. I was wondering if perhaps you would allow me a moment of your time to discuss a few things with you."

Will glanced over Brianna and her father up and down for a moment then looked down as Hotaru peeked from the side of the door.

"Well Hotaru what do you think?"

"Well if it was so important that she had to blow up the door, I guess we should speak to them."

Will nodded even as he realized that Theodore was either speaking Japanese or using a means similar to his own for communication outside his native language. Just as he was about to allow the Diggers entry he had a sudden thought.

"Very well, however I must request that you leave your weapons at the door."

The look on Brianna's face was simply priceless. It appeared as if he just asked her to remove a major organ without the aid of anesthetics. (Which when Will considered whom it was he very well might be doing just that.) However a steady look from her father caused the girl to sigh and relent. A few minutes and a ridiculously large number of weapons later Will welcomed the Diggers inside. As Will showed the Diggers the couch Hotaru took a seat in the lounge chair next to the large black leather recliner that she had deemed 'Will's Throne'. After Will took his seat she was reminded why she had come up with the name. The way he sat and the way the chair was built made it look like Will was a regal ruler surveying his masses of groveling minions.

"So how can I help you mister?"

"Diggers, Theodore Diggers, and this is my daughter Brianna."

'Whew they bought it.'

You're becoming quite the ignorant actor.

'You really think so?'

"Well I'm Will Kokushibyou, and this is my recently adopted daughter Hotaru Tomoe."

Hotaru nodded rather regally as she regarded the guests, confusing Will a good deal.

"Now then Mr. Diggers what is it that you wished to discuss?"

"Well this may seem like an odd question but have you ever heard of the Lich King?"

"Former Aura mage of the Jade Realm, that after death, in a stroke of genius, managed to use his remaining power to tap into the powers of the undead realm giving him a nearly limitless supply of power?"

Will stopped and looked to be in deep thought.

"Nope never heard of him."

Theodore stopped and stared at Will incredulously for a few moments.

"You sure of that."

"Yep absolutely, never heard of him."

Theodore blinked a few times and continued looking at Will until Hotaru giggled. This seemed to shake him out of his shock.

"Well needless to say I have certain interests in his movements. With this in mind I'm here because I sensed a power very similar to his being used in this general area."

Will sighed and looked down in a bit of thought.

Meanwhile near the stairwell that leads to the basement an invisible something was doing a recon mission for its creator. Its sensors were telling it that there was something in the basement that bared looking into so it began to descend towards Will's underground lair, unknowing of the danger it faced.

Back in the living room Will looked up at Mr. Diggers.

"What kind of energy does this Lich King… give off?"

"Generally it is power from a realm outside of Earth, called the Undead Realm."

"So a sort of undead energy?"

"More or less, is there anything that you might know of that could be giving off that kind of energy?"

Will looked over at Hotaru quickly, then back to the Diggers.

"Oh what a terrible host I've been, Hotaru could you go to the kitchen and get some drinks for our guests?"

Hotaru looked up sharply then nodded and went to the kitchen. As soon as Will was sure she couldn't see them, he called upon the powers of his possible mantel and shifted before the stunned eyes of both Brianna and her father. He motioned for them to stay quiet then pointed in the direction that Hotaru had just gone in. Then just as quickly he shifted back and resumed his unknowing regal posture in his recliner. Just in time too, because at that moment Hotaru returned to the room delicately balancing a small tray with a pitcher of ice water and a few glasses.

"Thank you Hotaru. Now then Mr. Diggers I do believe I know what kind of energy you've been sensing. It is my own."

Theodore, having picked up on the subtle hint that Will would prefer for Hotaru to remain in the dark about his apparent alter ego nodded silently looking at Will strangely. He couldn't understand why Will would show him and his daughter something like that and expect them to not over react. But then again he had just shown up at this young man's door, had his daughter accidentally blow it up, then started asking him questions about his own father. Maybe Will lived in an area where weird occurrences weren't so strange.

"Is that so? What makes you think that?"

Will smiled in thanks to the patriarch of the Diggers' clan while said patriarch was motioning to his daughter that he would explain later.

"I acquired my magical ability through certain channels that will remain anonymous, needless to say I draw no power from this Undead Realm you spoke of earlier."

Just as Theodore was about to speak again there was a huge explosion from the stairwell to the basement. Quickly the occupants of the room rushed to see just what had happened. Will reached the stairwell first and rushed down even before the smoke and fire had a chance to really die down. The other people watched in shock as he disappeared into the fiery chaos below. They heard his rather loud footsteps going down the stairs, his subsequent trip, his scream, and this body bouncing/rolling the rest of the way down the stairs, then finally the loud crash that signified his reaching the bottom.

"Ow…."

Theodore cast a quick water spell and extinguished the flames, but there was little he could do to remove the smoke, within the enclosed space they were in. There was a brief shuffling of clothing then some coughing and a few mutter curses that made Theodore cover Hotaru's rather young ears.

"What the…? Hey! Ow! Quit it!"

There was a muted shooting noise and some screaming in a high-pitched voice. Then there was the sound of Will's feet trudging up the stairs then voice and shooting became louder as his footsteps did.

"You meany you killed him you killed my brother."

Will stepped out of the stairwell and was apparently being attacked by some unseen foe that was still shooting relatively small laser bolts at him from the cover of the smoke.

"Take this and that, and a couple of these."

Will sighed and for the most part ignored the lasers as he walked up to Brianna. Needless to say Brianna took a step back, after-all seeing a rather tall guy become an even larger skeleton, was a bit unnerving especially with them currently looming over her their face obscured by the darkness his hood provided. And the small fire his hair had become may have also had something to do with her reluctance to let him approach.

"Yours?"

So saying Will dropped a rather charred hunk of plastic with a wheel sticking out if it into Brianna's hand. This enraged the unseen attacker apparently because the frequency of the flashes coming from behind Will increased greatly. Who still shrugged off the attack and used the hood of his cloak to put out the fire on his head.

"You dirty rat, you killed my brother, you dirty rat."

That time the voice was just as high pitched but it sounded a bit like a gangster was saying it. Brianna finally figured out just what she was holding and blinked at Will.

'How did he know that the Peebo was mine?'

Just as she was about to voice this thought Will interrupted her. (It paid to already know a person before meeting them.)

"I figure it must be your what with your apparent love of explosives and weapons of destruction."

Hotaru meanwhile began to wonder just what was yelling at her new father figure from the smoke. Being the still curious young girl she was, she moved closer to the stairwell. What she saw made her blink in confusion. There in the clearing smoke was a small rather cute looking plastic toy that was shooting lasers at her father while he discussed with Theodore why there was no real reason to worry about damages.

"Um excuse me?"

The small toy stopped shooting the unresponsive Will and turned to Hotaru.

"What?"

"Could you stop shooting Papa Will?"

Will had a sudden queasy feeling and sensed Hotaru was pumping out the cute rays in force.

"But he killed my brother."

It seemed that even Peebos may be subject to Hotaru's potentially fatal cuteness rays, as Hotaru proceeded to defend Will to the accusing toy.

"But he was in the living room with us."

"Then why did my brother 00891 blow up?"

Will at this point interject from where he was speaking with Brianna and Theodore.

"Because he tripped my security system, making it shock him and probably causing him to explode."

Peebo 00890 looked over at Will then back at Hotaru. And seemed to almost shrug.

"Oh well. Alas poor 00891 I knew ye well."

With that said the mini-laser on the peebo retracted and disappeared.

"Security system?"

Brianna queried.

"What kind of security system are we talking about here?"

"The magical kind of course. If someone attempts to open the door without knocking it unleashes a rather nasty electric charge."

Brianna nodded after all her peebos had been known to explore without her direct orders so it seemed that 00891 came up to an obstacle and attempted to bypass it. Now she would have to look into better shielding against electric surges for future peebo models.

'And perhaps better weapons systems.'

After all it wouldn't do to have a target be totally unaffected by her peebos weaponry. Currently peebo 00890 was flying around with a lightly giggling Hotaru in pursuit. For some reason every time the girl approached her adoptive father while doing this his hood would spontaneously rise up over his face.

"I assure you Mr. Diggers I have no intention of using my magic much outside of my own home unless the need arises. For me to try something like taking over a country much less the world would be counter productive for my own future."

"Oh how so?"

It wasn't often that Theodore met someone who wielded power like Will (undead realm energy). Much less one that wasn't evil. Sure he hadn't known Will for that long, so the young man could very well be lying to him. If so that would have to dealt with at a later time, for now he would have to trust Will.

"Let's just say to do so would hinder my career advancement and leave it at that"

Brianna stared at Will with a disbelieving expression on her face, after all what kind of career could offer better benefits than taking over the world. Granted it would be a difficult task to do so and even more so to stay in power. But if you have the means why not?

"Mr. Diggers if you would join me in the basement we can speak more openly."

Theodore nodded then turned to Brianna.

"Stay up here Brianna and keep an eye on Hotaru while I speak with Will."

"But I …."

"No buts young lady."

Brianna sighed and stepped down, she wasn't one to argue with her father when he had his mind set.

So as Will and Theo descended the stairs to the basement Brianna turned to Hotaru and smiled.

"So what do you do for fun around here?"

Hotaru shrugged.

"I don't know I just started living here this morning."

Brianna blinked and sighed as she realized just how boring things were going to get.

'Great just great.'

---------

Will opened the door of his lair and bid Theodore to follow him inside.

"Welcome to my lair."

There was a sound of drums and a cymbal crash just after Will finished speaking.

"What was that?"

Will smiled.

"It's a spell I made up, kind of gives the place a small sense of cheesy retro-ambiance that goes with the dramatic doom and gloom the room projects don't you think?"

Theodore had to nod; after all it did give the room that cheesy retro feel. Almost like being in a B-Horror movie. He gave the room the once over and was surprised at the amount of magic books, scrolls, and tomes that the young man before him possessed.

"Okay Mr. Diggers I'm going to level with you I feel I can trust you and figure you deserve an explanation. I'll tell you what I can, but I am limited in the information that I can reveal to you."

Theodore nodded and took a seat on the leather couch as Will sat on the work chair and faced him.

"I can't stress the importance that what I'm about to tell you must remain secret."

Again Mr. Diggers nodded and so Will began to reveal what he could to his visitor. Who hopefully may become an ally.

---------

Brianna had made her way outside with Hotaru following her. The girl seemed extremely shy have not said more than two words since their respective guardians had moved into the home's basement to speak privately. Hopefully her dad would tell her what was up with the creepy guy, it wasn't everyday one guy turned into a skeleton and back again before one's very eyes. She had planned to use what little time she may have to check over her weaponry, and Hotaru being with her didn't really change that fact much.

"Ms. Brianna, what's this?"

Brianna blinked and looked down at the young girl who was currently holding one of her weapons from the pile she left by the door.

"That's a laser pulse rifle. It can fire either a small laser beam or an energy pulse."

Hotaru unconsciously hefted the gun and took aim with it. Brianna blinked, as the girl seemed so at ease with the weapon. It wasn't often that a little girl walked up and aimed a laser pulse rifle like she had owned one for years. Her form was a bit off Brianna had to admit but in general she had the stance down fairly well. Suddenly the girl squeezed the trigger and the weapon went off. The kick back wasn't as powerful as say a twelve gauge shot gun but it still sent Hotaru's small form flying backwards. Brianna was about to run over and stop the girl from surely hitting the wall when the girl in an impressive display tucked into a roll and lessened the impact and avoided any real damage.

"Are you okay Hotaru?"

The girl who still held the weapon close to her blinked a few times and nodded slowly. Brianna helped her get to her feet then helped steady her.

"If I had know you were going to fire it I would have warned you about that."

Hotaru shook her head and cleared out some of the recently formed cobwebs. She looked over in the direction the shot went and saw a rather large circular burn mark in the side of the wall. Aside from the burn mark the wall was completely undamaged. Brianna followed Hotaru's line of vision and noticed the same thing though she was surprised for a reason completely different than Hotaru's.

"That was so cool."

'That weapon was at half power there should at least be a big gaping hole in the wall, as well as then next couple houses. This place is just getting weirder and weirder.'

"Wow, Mama-Perfume was right these walls are almost as thick as Papa's head."

The seemingly innocent statement from the pale girl set Brianna's mind into several different gears. On one hand she had to ponder the strength and endurance of Will if the girls statement held any weight. Then she also had to ponder just what was going on in this place, but she just shrugged it off for now after all her home life was even weirder than this, most of the time. Brianna then smiled at Hotaru, as the girl excitedly looks the weapon over a few times.

"Would you like me to show you just how to fire that?"

Hotaru's smile reached the Ultra-Violet level, and Brianna could have sworn she saw the house shudder. So she set about showing Hotaru just how to stand properly, hold the weapon, and take aim. She held the gun and showed Hotaru how to check for how much energy was in the battery clip. After replacing the energy pack she handed the weapon back to Hotaru who eagerly took said weapon and readied her self to fire a shot. Now what neither girl noticed was that while checking the energy pack Brianna had inadvertently flipped a switch near the trigger.

"Okay take aim at the target."

As Hotaru took aim Brianna helped herself to a chair that was leaning against the house. The Diggers girl had to chuckle at the way Hotaru was absorbing the information that Brianna told her concerning stances, preparations, maintenance, and a few other weapons' differences. Hotaru now stood ready to fire.

"Okay, Now squeeze the trigger and fire."

Hotaru squeezed the trigger and prepared for the shot's backfire. Slowly she opened her eyes when she failed to feel the gun going off. There at the end of the gun was a slowly growing ball of blue energy. In her surprise she inadvertently released the trigger causing the pulse shot to fire. The pulse shot flew true towards the "target" (which was the circular burn mark from her first shot), only instead of damaging the wall the shot bounced off it right back at Hotaru. Luckily she had the presence of mind to duck, and the shot flew harmlessly over her head and towards the house, where it ricocheted off a window and towards the front gate. Now while there was indeed a spell on the gate meant to keep anyone who didn't knock from entering, there are always a small group of people who can get around such precautions. For Instance Mihoshi in regards to the laboratory of one Universe's Greatest Genius Washu. So with this in mind the front door opened and revealed a rather slimy looking character. He carried a battered box that had tenth rate merchandise for first-rate prices. In other words a solicitor.

"Hello could I interest you in…?"

The shot flew towards the helpless salesman who used his rather tattered box of crap as a shield; the shot bounced away leaving the salesman unharmed. His wares however weren't as lucky and were destroyed.

"Um… yes… well then I'll just… be going excuse me."

The salesman ran screaming from the house swearing to never use his Mihoshi-esque powers for evil again. While the pulse shot flew to the side of the house gradually picking up speed with each ricochet/bounce that it had. Hotaru moved over to where Brianna was calmly sitting.

"What happened Ms. Brianna?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

Brianna walked over to Hotaru and switched the gun back to laser fire, and returned the gun to Hotaru.

"Let's try that again."

Hotaru nodded and took aim, when she was ready she fired the gun again and hit the 'target' dead on, earning a whistle of appreciation from Brianna.

"Looks like you're a natural kid."

Hotaru smiled although it was a bit sinister in appearance and she slowly ran her fingers along the stock of the gun. As her finger ran near the trigger the small fraction of pressure she put on it made the gun go off and fire through the still open gate and into the street.

"OW!"

"Oh no!"

Hotaru dropped the gun in her shock, as she heard a voice scream. The moment the gun hit the ground another laser bolt was fired. Again another scream from the same voice was heard.

"Oh damn that's one spicy meatball."

At this point both Will and Dr. Diggers came rushing out of the house.

"What happened what's wrong?"

Will was the first on the scene and was promptly tackled by a near hysteric Hotaru. Brianna meanwhile was subtly trying to hint to her father that now would be a good time to leave. Will tried vainly to calm down his adoptive daughter and turned with questioning eyes towards the elder aura mage. Theodore shrugged and motioned for him to comfort her. Will nodded and held her closer whispering that everything would be ok.

"Um dad we need to go."

Theodore glanced at his daughter and took her signal; after doing a quick magic scan to make sure no one was killed he nodded and signaled his daughter of their departure.

"We must be going Will I hope to maybe converse with you in the future."

Will who still looked mighty uncomfortable nodded but stayed silent. Brianna bidded Hotaru a farewell but said girl was too grief stricken to acknowledge it. As Brianna finished replacing her arsenal (to wherever it went) she stopped and moved back to Will and Hotaru. She set down a rather simple looking gun and an instruction booklet that made Will's head hurt at the thought of how and where she kept something that big on her person.

"She's a natural sharp-shooter, give this to her later."

Will blinked and nodded, slowly trying to comprehend what it meant that the Sailor of Silence had sniper grade accuracy. With that Brianna and her father left disappearing soon after rounding a corner into an alley.

"There, there? It'll be all right Hotaru don't cry. I'm sure we can fix whatever it was that made you cry."

Those words jolted Hotaru out of her misery.

"Papa, you know magic right?"

"Well yeah."

"Could you heal someone who got really hurt?"

"Uh yeah I guess so. Why do you ask?"

As opposed to answering him Hotaru in an impressive show of strength heaved her adoptive father up and practically drug him outside.

There not twenty-five feet from the gate was a quivering mass of boxes and bags from the shopping district. This in itself was odd but when Hotaru stopped right next to it and frantically tried to move Will towards the shapeless mass.

"Hurry you have to save them!"

Will blinked then looked back at the pile, which was slowly gathering a small crowd of passersby. Will slowly lifted a box and took a look at who was there. Sighing he dropped the box causing a corner to dig into the eye of the fallen individual, and got up and walked back to the house. Earning a grunt of pain from the body.

"Papa what are you doing you have to save him!"

"He's too far gone to save Hotaru just don't worry about him."

Will making her have a nervous breakdown may cause that whole emotion flood thing we talked about to happen.

'Fine.'

Stopping he turned around and gathered up a few of the bags and boxes from on top of the figure. Which was soon revealed as the Kokushibyou roommate Michael.

"See no harm done, but like I said he's too far gone to save."

Hotaru looked like she was about to hyperventilate upon seeing the unmoving body of her father's co-worker or whatever.

"You won't earn any more sympathy Mike now get up and get the rest of those boxes inside before Grace and Perfume come back. After all it wouldn't do to have you be the one who dropped their things in a puddle."

Like a bolt of life giving lightning had streaked down from the heavens the 'corpse' of Mike moved and sighed heavily.

"Aw c'mon man just a few more things?"

"No. Let's go Hotaru."

Hotaru stared blankly and suddenly felt the urge to take a nap. She had had one too many shocks for one day. So she silently followed Will back into the house. While Mike struggled to regain all of the balance the shots had cost him.

"Oh by the way Mike we'll need to talk later about the visitors you scared away."

"I scared away? Was it something I said?"

Will rolled his eyes as he closed the door in Mike's face and smiled softly at the painful smack her heard. It was good to be funny once in a while.

---------

Meanwhile in the act of fleeing from the Kokushibyou home the evil salesman (George) was beginning to learn that not all-high class neighborhoods were good for business. After his near death experience at the one home he almost had his head chopped off by some psycho wielding a katana and shouting about his fiery tigress. Then he had been blinded by a cloud of black flower petals and hit by a whip or something while some girl laughed hysterically (or insanely he wasn't too sure). So now he was running again his clothes were ripped, there were black rose petals in his hair, which was slightly singed but alive. Quickly he turned a corner and almost ran into a young scrawny boy. Both stopped and stared at each other, they were both breathing heavily and looked rather weary. They could see the abject terror in each other's eyes. A screech of righteous female fury erupted from behind the young man, which bolted him into side stepping the salesman and continuing on his way. The same went for George as he began to run again only to get caught up in a firestorm of electricity and pain. As he hit the ground smoking from the intense voltage that was pumped into him, he saw a green haired girl with little horns wearing a scowl and a tiger-skin bikini seemingly fly over him in pursuit of what he guess was the young man from earlier.

'This is it, the big ride. I'm done, cashed in my chips, paid the piper, bought the farm, kicked the bucket. I'm on my way to being the main course of the maggot buffet menu.'

Then a ray of hope shone down on his decrepit form. An angel from above came to deliver him from the icy grip of death. Of course he managed to disregard the ominous thunder and repeated lightning strikes, coming from very close by, in his joy. There not five feet from him was a police officer.

"Officer, I confess I did it take me away lock me up give me to Bubba. Just get me out of here."

The officer looked down confused at the charred man that was clinging to his leg.

"What are you guilty of?"

"Breaking and entering, soliciting where 'no soliciting' is clearly marked. Jay walking and, and wearing white shoes after Labor Day and before Easter."

At mention of the fashion faux pa the cuffs had been snapped on at speeds that would make the Flash proud. Slowly the officer led George away from the street corner and into a convenient alley. Later local resident would report of hearing screams and cries of pain and anguish late into the night. When asked about it the officer who was supposed to have been on duty reported that he had been told not to patrol that area by a person whom he had believed was his superior officer. After confirming that there had been no crimes in the area during that time the case was dropped as being an insane wandering martial artist of some sort passing through.

---------

Back at the Kokushibyou Estate Will sighed as he looked out the window and watched as Mike was repeatedly struck by lightning from a miscast thunder spell. While he was forced to look at yet another ensemble that Grace and Perfume had picked out for Hotaru. Why was Michael allowed to have all the fun and easy life? Oh well such was life Will guessed. Mike twitched in response to Will's mental complaint.

(TBC)


End file.
